Oh, That Way Madness Lies
by Iris Of The Open Skies
Summary: Izaya Orihara was the ultimate know-it-all. But, what happens when there's a new threat? A Hacker, named The Stalker. If there was one thing that Izaya hated, then it was not knowing something. And this Hacker knew more than he did, which irked the info broker. But whatever clue he finds, all leads to one oblivious girl, who Izaya knew had no part in anything. Or did she? IzayaxOC
1. Chapter 1

**To jealousy, nothing is more frightful than laughter.**

**-Francoise Sagan**

* * *

Izaya Orihara was a name most people feared or detested in that little town of Ikebukuro. He invaded the people's personal lives, some said. He was a madman, some others said. Yet, even if so many people detested the 23 year old information broker, none of them really wanted him dead. Except for Shizuo Heiwajima maybe, but the other people actually wanted a man like Orihara around.

He gave them the information they needed and it didn't surprise them in the very least that he knew about everything.

Izaya loved it that he had such control over human beings like that, and he claimed to love human beings, even if they did not love him back. He loved them, so he would see to it they would rise up, and also see to it that they fall, and that they get hurt when they do. Since, their reactions are what he wanted to see.

Most victims were teenage girls, who fell prey to his apparent kind words, and apparent soft heart.

But, ever since a month, there was a difference in his daily routines. Izaya Orihara at least had five people knock on his door every day, wanting information about something or the other. But, that one day, Izaya sat in his office, Namie ignoring him as usual, no one had come.

It wasn't unusual, Namie thought, but Izaya knew something was strange. He wanted human beings to depend on him, and that day no one came to him which irked the man. This wasn't the first time. Ever since a few days, Izaya had noticed that fewer people came to him than before. I can't play with humans if this keeps up, Izaya thought and stood up and grabbed his coat. "Where are you going now?" Namie asked, not really wanting to know.

"A stroll." Izaya replied in that sarcastic tone, and headed out. He checked his phone and saw that there wasn't any new message. Currently, he was texting this high school girl named, Naname Kitomatsu, a girl whose boyfriend broke up with her and she wanted to end her life. Izaya frowned slightly as he noticed she didn't text him that day, but he was sure he would find out what was happening in that town.

Suddenly his phone vibrated. Izaya smirked as he thought it was Naname, but it was some other number that he didn't recognize.

_I am watching you._

Izaya smirked wider, and he replied to the number.

_Oh, really now?_

Izaya waited, and walked into the train that left for Ikebukuro, and his phone vibrated.

_Yes, I saw you walking into the train to Ikebukuro. Tell me, Kanra, does it hurt to not know something, since almost more than half the time you do know?_

Izaya's smile died slightly and he replied. No one knew he was Kanra other than Mikado, and this wasn't Mikado's number.

_I'm touched. You know more about me than I do about you. That isn't fair now, is it?_

Izaya was angry, yet he didn't show it. He didn't know who this person was, and that person clearly did. He hated not knowing something, he wanted to stay in power. He wanted nothing more than that. He wanted the power to make humans squirm on his palm, and he wanted to have that godlike ability.

But who was this other person?

_Izaya Orihara, Nakura, Kanra. So many names just to make people's lives miserable. Does it hurt not knowing something? Tell me, am I making you angry? I bet I am. You claim to love humans, yet you seem to forget that you are one too. You play with people's lives, but let me tell you this, I am now going to play with yours._

Izaya frowned hard this time. He didn't like this person. So he didn't reply. He needed to know who it was. He hated asking people, but he had no other choice.

Then his phone vibrated again.

It was Naname.

_Nakura, I got this strange text from someone telling me that you were a liar. A stalker. They told me to call up Rio Kamichika, and when I did, I understood who you really were. You fraud!_

Izaya was furious now.

His phone vibrated once more.

_I bet you would want to know who I am now more than ever, right? You'll know soon. And know this, Izaya Orihara, I am watching you._

Izaya frowned and sighed. "I shouldn't be frowning so much. This is so much fun~" Izaya sang, holding his phone.

When he came to the train station at Ikebukuro, he saw a rather strange girl arguing with a shop keeper. Izaya chuckled as the girl said, "You touched my butt mister! I know it! Don't try and hide it! Just because I'm new here!" Izaya walked to the girl and said, "My, my, is there a problem?" The girl turned to face Izaya and she nodded. She pointed to the shop keeper and said, "This man here touched my butt and he'd denying it." Izaya wanted to laugh at his human's innocence. "You shouldn't take it to your head, you're new here, aren't you? You don't want big bad guys chasing after you now, do you?" The girl nodded, smiling. "My name is Tsumugi Aizawa." Izaya was shocked at how easily she told him her name.

She was a cute human, Izaya knew that much, but he wasn't interested. She picked up her bag and turned to Izaya and said, "Do you know where this place is?" Izaya smirked and nodded. "But, it comes with a payment." The girl frowned. "I don't have any money, go away." She turned on her heels and walked off.

Izaya chuckled and caught up to the girl when his phone vibrated.

_Real smooth, Izaya. Really. I still am watching you._

Izaya sighed and frowned. He ignored the text, and he called up a few men he knew who wanted a girl. Might as well have some fun when I'm here right? Izaya thought to himself and waited. Izaya walked up to Tsumugi and said, "I can tell you where the place is, no payment required." Tsumugi smiled and nodded. "Take a left over there and walk straight, okay? That shouldn't be too hard." Tsumugi smiled and said, "You're kind, mister." She walked away.

Izaya chuckled at what she called him.

The men came in ten minutes, and Izaya saw that they surrounded the girl. It was then Izaya noticed her appearance. Green eyes, glasses, ear phones plugged in, black full sleeved sweater, and a red scarf around her neck.

"Hey there, baby girl." One of the men said, and Tsumugi smiled. "Hi there!" Izaya cocked his eyebrow, still smiling at the girl's awkward behavior.

"You seem friendly, where are you headed? It's getting dark, you don't want big bad guys to follow you now, right?" Tsumugi's back was toward the wall and she nodded. "I'm new here, so I was trying to find my way home."

Izaya chuckled. A girl that announces to thugs she was new to a town, my, my, how fascinating humans are.' Izaya thought to himself and turned to see the man grab Tsumugi. "I'm not letting you go." Tsumugi frowned and kicked the man's face. She turned and kicked the other two and punched the fourth man's stomach so hard he went backwards. "I know karate. I was my school's martial arts club president." She said and walked off.

Izaya stood there, his eyes wide. It was the next minute that he broke out laughing. "How interesting humans are." He said and walked away.

His phone vibrated and he checked to see that it was the unknown number.

_Go back home now, if you want to find out who I am._

Izaya smiled evilly and did just that.

As soon as he entered his house, his phone vibrated.

_You still haven't turned on your computer. Man, you're slow. Hurry up and get on the chat screen. And the Dollars page. You'll see something that'll peak your interest._

Izaya wondered how the person knew that his computer was turned off. Izaya logged onto chat and no one was there yet. And in the Dollars main homepage, nothing was out of the ordinary.

But one post made two hours ago caught his interest.

_**There's this new hacker in town. Calls himself The Stalker. He knows everything man! Be careful, he hacks into people's IP addresses, which is terrifying! Just saying.**_

Izaya smirked. So this person was The Stalker.

A new chat opened and Izaya saw that it was a private message.

**_Mizore: Having fun, Kanra? You found out now, right?_**

**_Kanra: Oh yes, might I ask why I'm the new interest you found?_**

**_Mizore: typing…_**

Izaya smirked. Things were going to get interesting.

_**Mizore: Because you claim to know everything. And you've got something that I need.**_

Izaya cocked his eyebrow.

_**Kanra: What might that be?**_

_**Mizore: Information.**_

Izaya chuckled and typed.

**_Kanra: You can just ask me, I'll let you know._**

**_Mizore: That's not much fun, is it? Tell me, what would you have done?_**

Izaya laughed hard this time.

**_Kanra: Probably the same thing._**

This person, Mizore or The Stalker, was going to make things interesting for him. If he claims to be the best stalker, then Izaya is the best info broker. He'll find who this Mizore guy is and drag him out. No one plays with Izaya Orihara. Right?

Mizore smiled at the computer screen. "Bring it on, Izaya Orihara. The real stalking is going to start now."

* * *

**A/N: I adore Izaya. I was wondering, what would happen if someone stalked him?  
So, I wrote a story.  
I would be really grateful if people would review and tell me what they think of it so far.  
Read and review~ **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motive outside of itself; it only requires opportunity.**_

_**-George Eliot**_

* * *

To Izaya, every morning, waking up seemed really exciting. New faces to see, lots of humans to make miserable. Every day counted, did it not? And Izaya wanted to make sure he would live each day to the fullest, making use of his precious humans as much as he could.

He thought of going to Ikebukuro early that morning, and maybe pick on somebody he's never picked on before. He'd know who the fortunate soul was after he's gone to the town.

Izaya made sure Namie was at his place, before he made his way to Ikebukuro, and that morning, he received a text message.

_Good morning, Izaya. You haven't logged in since the past three days, I wonder why?_

It was Mizore.

Izaya frowned slightly. He didn't log in. It seemed that Mizore had already hacked into Izaya's IP address, and he knew every time Izaya logged in on his computer or even used the internet. The Wi-Fi was hacked as well.

He admitted to himself long ago, that this Mizore person was interesting. Interesting enough, that Izaya wanted to stab over and over again and watch the person squirm in his puddle of blood.

Izaya didn't bother to reply, and he knew that if information was all that Mizore wanted, then he would come and get it. This hacking scheme wasn't going to get to Izaya, and there was no way the man would fall for something like that. Izaya reached Ikebukuro and smirked when he saw Mikado and Anri, in front of some store, it seemed like they bumped into each other that morning.

"Oh, well might as well have some fun." Izaya walked up to the two and said, "Hello guys, I see you two are getting quite comfortable." Anri blushed, and glared at the man, still not forgetting what happened all those months ago. Yes, Mikado was at his senior year of high school.

"I-Izaya." Mikado said, not expecting to see the man that morning. "If you're wondering about what happened all those months ago, I put the past behind me. You can't dwell on the past anymore as much as you do, so I suggest you do the same. I've had my share of fun, I think I'll rest a bit." Izaya said, smirking and the teenagers didn't look like they believed it.

Then Izaya heard something.

"Come back here! Damnit, I am not letting you go!" A man bumped into Izaya, and still continued to run, and he was followed by someone Izaya had met a few weeks ago.

Tsumugi Aizawa.

Her name made Izaya smirk. She was stupid, and naïve. That was what Izaya's first impression of her was. She was chasing after a pickpocket, and Izaya laughed heartily. "If there's a God, he loves me." Izaya said, and chased after Tsumugi, and caught up with the pickpocket.

He grabbed the bag the pickpocket was carrying and tossed it to Tsumugi. The girl, smiled immediately and frowned at the pickpocket. "You shouldn't steal. You should know that." Izaya chuckled at the girl and said, "You shouldn't let this man go, he stole something very valuable from you." Izaya said, hoping to get some frenzied reaction from the girl.

Tsumugi nodded and walked closer to the thief, who was held by Izaya. "My bag was empty you know. If you want to steal from someone, make sure they're loaded. If they are, they'll give you a sign like, picking out some jewelry or count money in public. My bag had nothing in it, see-"Tsumugi showed her bag to the male and his eyes widened. "So, all the best for next time." She smiled and turned to Izaya and said, "You could've not helped me, it was nothing really." She smiled and the thief ran from them.

"My, my, you sure are a different person." Izaya said, meaning every word. She wasn't someone you'd stumble upon every day. "Tell me, if that bag was empty, why did you chase him?" Tsumugi smiled slightly and said, "Because I didn't run today morning. I run every morning, and I sort of skipped today, so I thought chasing after this pickpocket would help me, and look I'm panting." She smiled wider at the man and said, "I met you before haven't I? You're the kind man that gave me directions the day I got here. But, I'm a klutz you see, I got lost even after that." Tsumugi giggled and Izaya stared at her, his smirk not dying.

"I apologize. My name is Izaya Orihara." For some reason Tsumugi's eyes widened and she said, "Oh, wait, I know you! You're famous." Izaya chuckled and said, "Is that so?" Tsumugi nodded and said, "You're a mechanic aren't you? Some guy who always gives his vending machines to you." Izaya stared at the girl, and this time, he frowned slightly. And immediately, put his smirk back on.

"You got it all wrong, Miss Aizawa-""Call me Mugi." She smiled. "Mugi-chan." Tsumugi squealed and said, "That name's cute, don't you think?" Izaya smirked wider and said, "Sure, Mugi-chan. I'm not a mechanic. I'm an information broker." Tsumugi cocked her eyebrow and said, "What's that?" Izaya sighed and said, "You'll know when you know. So, Mugi-chan tell me about yourself. You live alone?" Tsumugi nodded. "Yup." She smiled, being proud of the fact.

Immediately, Tsumugi hopped on the spot she was standing and said, "I turn 22 this week! I can't wait!" She covered her face with her palms and Izaya said, "Oh, are you going to celebrate it?" She nodded.

"Let's make it a wonderful celebration, shall we?" Tsumugi turned to Izaya with puppy dog eyes, and said, "Oh, you'd help me?" Izaya nodded. "Why, yes of course. We are friends after all." Tsumugi smiled and said, "Oh, thank you Iza-kun." Izaya chuckled and suddenly, he was pulled off his feet, by something heavy smack right onto his face.

He knew it was Shizuo.

"Oh, a vending machine?" Tsumugi turned to her left and saw a blonde man, and she cocked her eyebrow. She stomped over to him and said, "Oh, so your the one who gives Iza-kun the vending machines! But, Iza-kun's an information…whatever. Not a mechanic. Why'd you give him that vending machine?"

Izaya wondered what planet she was from.

Shizuo, on the other hand, growled at the girl in front of him and said, "Did that bastard brainwash you or something?" Tsumugi shook her head honestly, and said, "I don't even know him as much as I know you Shizu-chan." She smiled.

Yes, in her three week stay in Ikebukuro, she met and befriended Shizuo Heiwajima. But, that's a story for later.

"So, she gets to call you Shizu-chan, eh _Shizu-chan_?" Izaya said, standing up. Tsumugi turned to him and smiled. "He dropped me home the day I got here. Said I'd get raped or worse if I walked alone that night." Izaya stared at the girl and thought, 'She's blunt.'

"Oh well, I think I'll be leaving." Izaya said, and Tsumugi waved. "Bye, Iza-kun!" She smiled and Shizuo stepped forward before Tsumugi caught his hand, "Shizu-chan, let him go. He promised to be here for my birthday this week." She smiled and Shizuo growled.

Then, he turned away and walked off.

Something, which shocked Izaya Orihara the most.

This girl made Shizuo Heiwajima walk away from a fight he didn't get to finish, and his opponent being, Izaya Orihara.

Izaya's smirk grew and he decided to go home and check up on Tsumugi Aizawa. He needed to know who she was.

Where she came from, and what she was doing here.

She interested him, that much he was sure.

Mizore watched Izaya walk away from the scene and smirked. "I'm watching you, Izaya. You're playing my game, now."

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**A/N: Thank you, for those who reviewed.  
And, well, Tsumugi is kind of like, well, naïve and stupid. (Just like Izaya says.)  
And Shizu-chan listened to her!  
:O  
Read and review on what you think! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_**What A frightening thing is the human, a mass of gages, and dials, and registers, but we can read only a few and those perhaps not accurately. **_

_**- John Steinbeck**_

* * *

To most people, Izaya seemed like a very manipulative, and intimidating man. He loved that he was always above other people, and he enjoyed irking them, that which we already know about Orihara. And when Izaya found someone he enjoyed looking into, he would build them up so high, and make them fall back down with equal force. And he'd watch what they'd do when they are abandoned and alone.

He wanted to do the same for Tsumugi Aizawa. He met her once after that vending machine incident, and Tsumugi was still the same. He loved to see how she reacted to everything he said, and the reactions were all so unique, Izaya shuddered with anticipation. She surely was unlike anyone he had ever met, and he desperately wanted to see how she would react when the ever-lasting smile on her face was wiped off.

She was buying manga the next time Izaya met her. "Mugi-chan, hello there!" She didn't look too happy, but as soon as she saw his face, she smiled and said, "Iza-kun, how are you?" Izaya noticed that there was something that was bothering her, and he smirked thinking this was his chance to make her squirm, but he had to know her well. He wanted to make sure Tsumugi and himself were well acquainted. "Something bothering you Mugi-chan?" Izaya asked, faking concern. Mugi nodded immediately and said, "Tomorrow's my birthday, and I don't think I'll have the awesome party that I dreamt of."

Izaya wanted to laugh at this girl. She was so childish, it was ridiculous. "Aw, that's too bad. But, you are new here. You can't expect anyone to come right away-""No, no, my house is too small. I've invited over fifty people already. I had to tell them I can't host a party at my house, that's why I was disappointed." Izaya was surprised. "So, you have friends here?" Tsumugi nodded. "Lots!" She said, and smiled. Izaya chuckled, and said, "So, tell me Mugi-chan, why did you move here?" Mugi turned on her feet and said, "College!" Izaya blinked.

"I transferred." She said, nodding. Izaya continued, "How do you like this place?" Mugi grinned and said, "I love it here! The people are so nice." She smiled and Izaya didn't know what to say.

"Nice people, eh?" Mugi nodded. "You like manga?" He asked, looking at her bag. She nodded and said, "I love it! I write fan fiction, you know." She winked and Izaya closed his eyes and smirked. "What would you do if someone were to steal what you wrote from you and they attain the glory?" Mugi didn't seem to have thought about that at all, so she said, "Write something else I think."

That wasn't what Izaya wanted to hear.

"Tell me Mugi-chan, is there anything you're afraid of?" Izaya smirked. This girl, as he saw it, was very modest so that meant, he'd tell her about her fears. "I don't know. So far, I don't think I've encountered anything scary." Izaya stopped walking and stared at Tsumugi's head.

"Oh, really now?" He was interested alright. "Yep. I'm proud to say I'm not afraid of anything!" She giggled and turned to face Izaya. "Are you afraid of anything?" Izaya chuckled and said, "I don't think so." Tsumugi nodded and said, "See! You understand me. I should go home now, see you later Iza-kun." She smiled and skipped away from him.

Izaya was sure he wanted to find out what the girl was afraid of and he was sure he wanted to watch her squirm. He wanted to watch that confidence of hers burn away, because that was what Izaya was best at doing.

He did some research about the girl, and found nothing out of the ordinary. She was born to a single mother, Amane Aizawa, and she had an elder brother, Kazue who lived abroad. Tsumugi was from Okinawa, and then her family shifted to Tokyo for reasons unknown. Izaya could tell it was for Kazue's college or something. And Tsumugi came down here to Ikebukuro on a scholarship. Izaya chuckled and turned to Namie and said, "This girl interests me. I think I'll play with her." Namie sighed. "I don't really care. What about that Mizore person who stalks you?" Izaya's smile died as he remembered about the Stalker, and he sighed.

"Mizore doesn't scare me."

Then his phone vibrated. It was Mizore. _Izaya, are you afraid of me?_

Izaya frowned. He replied. _Not in the very least. If its information you want, you have to come and get it. Your tricks aren't going to work._

Izaya chuckled as he pressed send, and Namie sighed. "Ridiculous." She muttered, and got back to work. His phone vibrated once more and Izaya frowned harder at the reply. _Oh, I'm closer to you than you think, Izaya Orihara. I'll see you soon._

Izaya logged onto chat and saw that Taro Tanaka and Setton were both already online. But, there was this other person. Izaya recognized the name immediately. 'What kind of person uses their own name as chat screen name?' Izaya chuckled.

_**Tsumugi: Hello there, I'm new here. Is there anything worth talking about?**_

_**Setton: Hi, Tsumugi.**_

_**Taro Tanaka: Hello Tsumugi, there isn't much to say I think.**_

_**Kanra: Hello Tsumugi~**_

_**Tsumugi: Call me Mugi, guys. :)**_

Izaya chuckled. Then he typed.

**_Kanra: Did you hear about the Stalker? He's this hacker who hacks into people's IP addresses. He sounds scary~_**

**_Tsumugi: Huh?_**

**_Taro Tanaka: IP address? Gosh, that's scary. I hope he doesn't hack my system._**

Izaya knew right away what Mikado was worried about. The Dollars website.

**_Setton: A Hacker? That isn't so troublesome, is it?_**

**_Tsumugi: I'm lost here. Can someone tell me what an IP address is?_**

**_Kanra: It's something that allows the Hacker to log into your online accounts of your computer from theirs. If they hack into it, that is._**

**_Tsumugi: -_- I don't really care about it then. I have nothing to hide._**

Izaya laughed. 'Of course you don't.'

_**Private Message to Taro Tanaka: Don't worry, I don't think the Stalker's logged into the dollar website.**_

_**Taro Tanaka: Oh, thank goodness.**_

_**Mizore: So, Taro Tanaka is the leader of the Dollars. Interesting.**_

Izaya's eyes widened. 'What the hell?' He was private messaging Mikado, how did Mizore enter the chat screen all of a sudden? It was impossible, unless-

Izaya's phone vibrated and it said, _Gotcha. ;)_

Izaya groaned. This Hacker was good, he admitted it. But, he had to find out who this was. And then something caught his eye.

Tsumugi wasn't replying.

Izaya frowned slightly and shook his head. "Tsumugi, the Stalker? No." Although his suspicions didn't end there, Izaya knew there was only one thing he could do. "I think I'll visit my Mugi-chan tomorrow."

The next day, Izaya walked to Tsumugi's apartment and knocked. "Mugi-chan?" He said, and the girl opened the door after a minute. She was wearing shorts, and a light blue full sleeved shirt, the hands were too long for her, and her hair was held up in a messy bun. She blinked twice, and smiled. "Iza-kun! You remembered!" She embraced him, almost knocking the male off balance. 'Oh yes, it's her birthday.'

Tsumugi pulled away and smiled at him. "Did you bring a gift?" Izaya didn't even remember. "Of course I did~" He sang and Tsumugi squealed. "You're such a good person, Iza-kun." He noticed her face was red from excitement. "Aren't you going to let me in?" Izaya asked and Tsumugi pulled him inside. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll make tea." She said, and walked inside her kitchen. On the couch, there was a laptop, its screen was on. Izaya scooted to it, and placed the device on his lap and read the screen.

_'…she was bored. She least expected anything crazy to happen that afternoon in Konoha. So, she just lied down on her bed not bothered about a thing in the world. And just then, when she was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud knock on the door…'_

Izaya chuckled. 'Fan fiction'. He thought to himself and placed the laptop beside him. He turned to see Mugi walk over to him, with two glasses of hot tea and she said, "Thank you for coming." She smiled. "Happy birthday, Mugi-chan." He didn't have a gift.

"So, you're a student-""I'm thinking of dropping out of college." She said, her face stoic. Izaya blinked and said, "Why's that?" Mugi puffed her cheeks and said, "Because it's boring." Izaya chuckled and said, "It's all for the best in the end." Mugi nodded and suddenly said, "You're very cute, you know?" Izaya blinked at her and smirked. "Why, thank you Mugi-chan. What made you say that all of a sudden-"She shook her head and said, "You're just a cute guy." She smiled, her face red.

"Oh, come with me~" She said, and pulled his hand, and took him out of the house, and up the stairs. "Where are we-""Come on. Gotta show you what inspires me to write!" Izaya frowned slightly, not really bothered about the girl's personal interests.

She took him to the roof.

She hopped over to the edge and something was very familiar. This scene was nostalgic. "You can see half the town from here, Iza-kun! This is beautiful." She smiled. Izaya walked over to the girl, smirking. 'Maybe if I threaten to push her, she'll be afraid?' Izaya grabbed her right hand, and made her lean toward the edge, just like he did to Rio. His left hand was supported by the railing. "Are you afraid, Mugi-chan-"He noticed her face. She wasn't smiling. But she didn't look afraid. "The ground looks so close from here. You know what, if I were to be born again, I wanna be a cat. That way I can jump down ther and land on my feet."

Izaya frowned and pulled her back, her hands resting on his chest and she said, "I'm so close to Iza-kun." She giggled and hopped off. Izaya frowned and thought of why he didn't push her off the cliff right then and there. "I will make you squirm-"Suddenly his phone vibrated.

_Having fun?_

Izaya turned to see Tsumugi, but she didn't have a phone. 'It isn't her.' Izaya thought and sighed. 'This is fun.' He smirked and laughed. Tsumugi turned to him and said, "Are you mimicking some mad scientist Iza-kun?"

He definitely will make this girl squirm, even if he doesn't find out who Mizore is, he would make this girl fall. He was sure of that much at least.

* * *

**A/N: No reviews.  
Disappointed.  
Thoroughly. Review please!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."**_

_**― Roald Dahl**_

* * *

Befriending Tsumugi Aizawa was easier than Izaya thought it would be. She was a very friendly girl, eccentric, always retaining a bright personality. She was 23 years old, and she was still childish. She was a fan fiction writer, and she loved anime/manga, and there was another problem Izaya had to face.

She flirted with him.

Izaya didn't know whether Tsumugi didn't mean what she said, she was too naïve to understand what certain terms even meant, but the fact that she was flirting with him was obvious. "Iza-kun looks cute today." She would say every time she saw him, and what made things even more obvious that she was flirting with him were that Izaya wore the same clothes every day. Izaya could tell she had a crush on him, but it didn't look like Tsumugi wanted to hide the fact.

One day, things were made clear.

Izaya hung out with Tsumugi for a while. He made sure he got to know her well enough to play with her, and he had to admit, she was unique. She was unlike any human he had seen, and what made things better was that she was mysterious in more ways than one. To Izaya, mysterious people tend to hide their emotions behind a mask, and that made things even more interesting for the male to break their barriers down. It had been three months after her birthday, that Izaya felt…awkward around the woman.

"Iza-kun." She sounded serious. They were on her rooftop, sitting by the ledge, when she spoke. Izaya smirked, thinking whether she was going to tell him about something that bothered her, since Tsumugi was never this serious. She took his right hand and placed it on her stomach and said, "I'm pregnant." Izaya recoiled immediately and frowned at her. It was impossible, before Izaya could even react, Tsumugi broke out laughing.

"I was joking! I obviously can't get pregnant without you sleeping with me." She said, in between laughs. Izaya frowned at the girl and then smirked slightly before saying, "You scared me there." Tsumugi blinked. "Did I? I'm sorry Iza-kun. But really…" She leaned her head on Izaya's chest and the male watched her intently. "I don't mind bearing your children." Izaya knew right then that he had to get away from there, or just stab her with his blade.

Mizore's hacking had reduced quite a bit. There were people all across Ikebukuro who claimed to me Mizore themselves. But, Izaya was smart enough to know that Mizore wouldn't show his face out to the public this fast. He hadn't texted Izaya in a while, and Izaya was sure Tsumugi wasn't Mizore. She barely knew how to use a computer, and her texting speed was very slow. One day, Izaya decided to bring Tsumugi to his house, and try to scare her there.

And he had just the best idea.

He gave Tsumugi the address to his apartment, and it was already six in the evening, so that meant she would have to spend the night there. And that also meant that darkness would fall soon. So when Tsumugi entered inside his apartment, "Hello? Iza-kun?" She said, her voice as sweet as honey, Izaya snuck up behind her, wearing a mask that would normally scare even the toughest of men. 'Sudden shocks are the best.' He thought and since his house was dark, Tsumugi would definitely yell.

She walked two steps ahead and then, "Boo!" Within an instant, Tsumugi turned around and grabbed Izaya by the collar and pushed him to the ground, and sat on his stomach. She stared at him and sighed. "Iza-kun…were you trying to scare me?"

She wasn't startled, and her reaction startled Izaya.

Tsumugi giggled and took out the mask from Izaya's face and kissed his cheek. "You're so cute. But, you know the best plus point of you inviting me over at this time of the day? I get to spend the night."

Izaya frowned at her.

"And that also means I get to have you all for myself tonight." She sang and got off the male. Izaya played the kind host and made her sleep on the bed. He took the couch instead.

It was that night when Izaya got a text message from Mizore. Tsumugi was fast asleep. He even checked it, twice. The message read: _Izaya, I want you to tell me what your email addresses password is._

Izaya laughed. As if he'd tell-then his phone vibrated again.

_Oh, wait. I know it. It's 81161946141__[1]__ right?_

Izaya frowned. That was his password, as stupid as it sounded. Izaya groaned and he knew right then that this Mizore person was playing with him. _I admit you are a good hacker, but I don't understand something. What are you searching for?_

Izaya regretted that he sent the message, but desperate measures call for desperate means.

_Do you want to know what I want? Information. About a man. Simple as that._

Izaya smirked. _Who's that?_

_Tetsuya Hayashi._

Izaya knew this person. Tetsuya Hayashi was the most famous hacker that aided in the world's biggest bank robbery. He was a wanted criminal, who also took pleasure in doing the most gruesome acts in history. He murdered his family and tortured his children. He was a genius, but there was a rumor that said Tetsuya lost his mind when his children were killed. He was the one who killed them, but seeing their dead faces triggered something in him that made him run away. Izaya knew so much about him, since there was this one incident where Izaya had the opportunity to meet with him. It was three years ago, Izaya worked underground at that time.

But, even Izaya didn't know where his location was.

_Tetsuya Hayashi. I know about him. The hacker. Why, is this some sort of competition?_

Izaya wanted to know more about this hacker now more than ever.

_You could say that. It surprises me that even you don't know about his location. Even after you met the man three years ago, face to face._

Izaya was impressed, this hacker knew his stuff.

_Can I ask you a personal question? Why do you want to know about that man anyway?_

And in an instant, the reply came.

_He is my father._

Well, that wasn't what Izaya was expecting. Not in the very least.

* * *

**[1] - In your qwerty keyboard, look up the letters position A, from the left to right, their positions are ****81161946141 respectively.**

**A/N: No reviews. I can't believe it!  
I don't even feel like updating anymore. :(**


	5. Chapter 5

_**There are things that are known and thing that are unknown, and in between, there are doors.**_  
_**- William Blake**_

* * *

It had been a week since Izaya had last received a text from Mizore. He was sure that the hacker had hacked into his email accounts, but nothing was stolen. His password was the same, and every file was original. Tsumugi was someone Izaya found more interesting every day. But, one thing made him shocked. The incident occurred just three days ago, and every time Izaya asked her how she did it, she shrugged and brushed it off.

Shizuo found Izaya walking in Ikebukuro again, with Tsumugi right beside him that one day. As usual, Shizuo picked up an object from the road and ran toward the dark haired male. Tsumugi was the first one to see the blonde man running toward them, and what she did next shocked Izaya more than anything in the world. "Shizu-chan, stop." She said, once. And the man obeyed.

Like a puppy being fed just then, Shizuo stopped running and Tsumugi said, "We're on a date I think, Shizu-chan. Don't interrupt us, okay?" She smiled and the blonde man grunted and walked away.

Izaya had only dreamed of learning a way to manipulate Shizuo, and this girl Tsumugi did it with ease. Even Tom Tanaka, Shizuo's boss had to hold him back, but all Tsumugi did was talk. "How'd you do that Mugi-chan?" Izaya inquired and the girl shrugged and said, "I told him to stop and he did. I lied to him though. About us going on a date. God knows you wouldn't date me." She said, and walked forward a little, while Izaya smiled at her back.

God knows, doesn't he?

Back at home, Izaya texted Tsumugi calling her the most beautiful object he had ever seen. And the reply came five minutes later. _You don't have to lie to me, Iza-kun. I like you all the same._

Izaya frowned and threw the phone on the couch. Tsumugi irritated him more than any human did, and that was the reason he couldn't let her go. He knew she held secrets, and he wanted to know every single one of them. Namie noticed how Izaya rarely stayed at home and sighed before she asked, "So, can I take it you and that Tsumugi girl are dating?" Izaya laughed at her question and said, "There's no way I can love just one human, Namie. I love all humans, equally. It wouldn't be fair if I fell for just one. And, I'm not really interested in Mugi-chan in that way at all. It's her secrets that intrigue me. And…the fact she isn't afraid of anything."

Namie laughed. "Maybe she really isn't afraid of anything." Izaya shook his head and plopped on his couch. "That can't be possible. Every human has a fear. Sometimes even they wouldn't know about it. I'll find Mugi-chan's fear and I'll make her squirm." Namie frowned slightly. "I actually think that girl is a female version of you." Izaya cocked an eyebrow and said, "She isn't anything like me, Namie." The chemist woman nodded and said, "She isn't, but something about her eyes tell me she's as sadistic as you are. At least on the inside."

That was what made Izaya even curious.

Tsumugi seemed innocent and naïve to him, and at the same time Namie thought she was slightly sadistic? How can one person have so many assumptions about themselves? Izaya laughed and smirked widely. He placed a checker on the chess board and said, "You'll be here, Mugi-chan. I am going to play with you."

Tsumugi woke up one morning, and saw that her phone was vibrating. "Was it on vibrate all night?" She asked herself and picked the call. "Hello? Tsumugi Aizawa here!" She said, and the person on the other end chuckled. "Iza-kun! What 's making you call me now?" Izaya laughed and said, "Shouldn't I call my Mugi-chan in the morning?" Tsumugi laughed and said, "Of course you can! But, if there's something you need from me, you don't have to pretend like you have to talk to me formally first. You can get to the point I won't mind." Izaya frowned and sighed. "It's not-""No, Iza-kun, I want you to know, you can use me all you want, I won't mind." Izaya was surprised.

"Mugi-chan?" Tsumugi listened.

"Can I come over?" The words flew out of his mouth before he even could react. "You don't have to ask, silly!" Izaya hung up after that. He didn't understand what went wrong in that last conversation. How could she read him like that? It was as if she read his mind and knew what he planned on doing with her. He did need her, to go to Ikebukuro. And Izaya didn't want Shizuo to attack him while he was busy dealing with something else.

There was a psychologist who could tell him what would scare Tsumugi. And with the psychologist's help, Izaya would definitely scare Tsumugi. Her name was Sayuri Inoue. She was someone Izaya asked for information as well. She despised Izaya, but that didn't mean she could kick him out. He knew a few of her secrets so she had to play along.

So, to get to Sayuri's clinic without attracting unwanted attention, Izaya needed Tsumugi. As soon as he entered Tsumugi's house, the girl embraced him and Izaya didn't return the gesture. Instead he smiled at her and Tsumugi sighed and smiled back. "So, what do you need me for Iza-kun?" There was no sense of regret in her voice, and it didn't seem like she minded that Izaya only had to use her. "I need to get to a friend's clinic, and if Shizu-chan attacks me-""I can stop him." She smiled and Izaya's smile wavered. 'I know that you can, but what I don't know is how.'

"Which friend?" Tsumugi asked, and Izaya shrugged. "Her name is Sayuri-""A girl?" Tsumugi asked him, wide eyed and Izaya turned to look at her now shocked face. He smirked immediately and said, "No need to be jealous, Mugi-chan, she isn't nearly as interesting as you are." That wasn't enough for Tsumugi though. She turned away from him and huffed. Izaya observed her attire and wondered. 'She almost wears the same kind of clothes every day. And that scarf, she wears it every time I see her. Is it precious to her?' "Mugi-chan, is that scarf precious to you?"

Tsumugi stiffened, and Izaya noticed. He smirked wider, knowing he had discovered something about her that she didn't want to reveal. "Not really. I just love the feel of it against my cheeks." She said, and Izaya didn't buy it. But, she was one good liar, since she didn't even hesitate to think what she had to say. She wore that red scarf around her neck, and pulled it up till her lips. She wore a full sleeved black shirt and a skirt that went till her upper thigh. Her hair was a chocolate brown, and her eyes were green. She wore glasses, and always had white ear phones plugged in. Izaya knew she was attractive, and even so, that didn't interest him.

He had seen more attractive women, and even that didn't interest him.

Once he reached the clinic, he turned to Tsumugi and before he said anything, she huffed once more and said, "Okay, I'll leave." Izaya was surprised. 'How did she know?' He thought and smirked. "Mugi-chan." He said, and she turned to face him. "After I come back, I'll buy you some ice cream." Tsumugi lightened up like a small puppy being gifted by its master and nodded. Izaya chuckled and walked inside the clinic. That was the second time he said something without thinking.

Sayuri was a quiet woman, who didn't take people's nonsense. Being a psychologist was something people didn't expect of her to become, since even as a child, Sayuri was someone people believed to be the most cold-hearted woman alive. She was Izaya's classmate in school, and she despised him. "Izaya." She spat as he walked in. "you didn't even look to see me, Yuri-chan." Sayuri grunted and said, "Don't call me that, only my friends can. You on the other hand, I want to kill."

"Like the man who assaulted you?" Sayuri's nose flared in anger and she turned to him and frowned. "What do you want, asshole?" Izaya chuckled and raised his hands. "No need for harsh words, Yuri-chan, what would Dotachin think of you?" Sayuri sighed and said, "Get to the point, what do you want, Orihara."

"I want to scare a woman, who I believe is the most interesting human alive." Sayuri cocked her eyebrow and said, "Are you in love?" Izaya laughed and said, "With all humans, Yuri-chan." Sayuri sighed. "What's she like?"

"She's naïve and innocent. She's a martial artist. And, she can predict whatever I think. And, she has a crush on me." Sayuri sighed. "God, help that soul." She muttered and said, "Since she's a woman, there are many things that can scare her." Izaya listened. "Oh?" Sayuri nodded and said, "Dogs, spiders, snakes, enclosed spaces, doctors or, dentists, and flying, apart from these simple phobias, she can be afraid of complex things as well." Izaya stood up. "Don't you want to know?" Sayuri asked and Izaya smiled at her and closed his eyes. "If those things don't work out, I'll come back to visit you, Yuri-chan! Say hi to Dotachin for me!" He said, and walked out, and saw Tsumugi standing outside leaning on the wall of the clinic humming a tune.

"Ice cream!" She said, as soon as she saw him and Izaya smirked. He walked alongside her and saw that Tsumugi was smiling through that scarf. As they entered the ice cream store, Izaya paid the vendor to put a spider on the ice cream that would be given to Tsumugi. That would most definitely make her shout. And that was what Izaya wanted to see.

The vendor wasn't happy, but Izaya's money was tempting, so he obeyed. Finding a spider was difficult though. But, he pulled it off somehow. He placed the eight legged arachnid on the ice cream cone and handed it to Tsumugi. Before she licked it, she noticed the spider and her eyes widened.

Izaya knew this was the moment he was waiting for.

"Oh, look Mr. Ice cream guy, there's a spider on this ice cream! Aw, poor guy. He must be freezing!" Tsumugi picked the spider and placed it on the table and watched that the arachnid moved. "Oh, thank goodness, it's still alive! Have I told you I loved spiders Iza-kun?" Izaya frowned.

In the end, she took another ice cream, and the ice cream vendor was happy that he was paid double that day.

Sayuri was shocked to see the person who was beside Izaya. 'She's the girl he wants to scare?' She thought to herself and her eyes widened. "He's going to have a tough time." She spoke to herself and sighed. "Tsumugi Aizawa." She said, and walked away.

Mizore checked the phone that night and sent Izaya a text message. _What do you know about Ran Izumi?_

Izaya was surprised with the question._ Ran Izumi founded the blue squares. Everyone knows that._

Mizore grunted. "I know that, fool. You know more than you're letting on."

_I meant, his relationship with my father, Tetsuya Hayashi._

Izaya was shocked. This Hacker almost knew things even Izaya didn't know about. It was just recently that Izaya figured out Ran Izumi had ties with the famous hacker Hayashi.

_Strange, Hayashi and Izumi were allied about a certain mission together. Details of which I don't know myself._

Mizore grunted. _That is what I am looking for._

_Why?_ Izaya asked, and smirked.

_That mission changed my life._

'Well, isn't that amusing?' Izaya thought to himself and smiled.

* * *

**A/N: Isn't Tsumugi the mysterious one now? Ooh!  
Thank you all for the reviews :)  
But, please do keep reviewing, you have no idea how happy it made me. I felt so happy! I even shed tears. :')  
So, who is this Mizore person?  
And what the hell is Tsumugi hiding?  
And, Sayuri knows something, doesn't she?  
(Btw, I love Kyohei Kadota, and I thought he deserved some love, okay?)  
And, my story doesn't follow the manga plot okay?  
Review my loves! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_**A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal. **_

_**-Oscar Wilde**_

* * *

Izaya woke up when he felt something move on his stomach. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Tsumugi, asleep on his stomach, laying her head on his chest. The male grunted and saw that she was clutching onto him as tightly as she could. It was the middle of the night, and Tsumugi was murmuring something, holding on to Izaya. He leaned down closer to her and heard her say, "Why…why?" Izaya listened on, but Tsumugi said nothing more. Sometimes, she came over to Izaya's and stayed the night there, but Izaya never let her get too close to her, but this time, she was asleep on top of him. Something Izaya wasn't happy about.

She was talking in her sleep. That meant she was hiding something vital. The next day, Izaya waited for Tsumugi to wake up, and he stared at her as she stirred. When she did wake up, she saw Izaya looking at her and she buried her head in the pillow. "Oh." She said, and giggled. Izaya chuckled and said, "What's the matter Mugi-chan? Did you have a nightmare?" Tsumugi nodded and she said, "Oh, you won't believe it Iza-kun! Gummy bears were playing with my hair even when I was yelling at them and asked them why, they didn't stop!"

Izaya frowned slightly and got off the bed. "Why were you sleeping on top of me?" He asked, his tone much ruder than before. Tsumugi felt it, and she pouted slightly. "Hey, Iza-kun?" Izaya ignored her. She made him furious and even after that, he still wanted to scare her and make her squirm. No, that was why he wanted to watch her suffer. Because she was so different from the rest. Tsumugi noticed how he wasn't talking to her and got off the bed and walked out of the room as Izaya went inside the bathroom. When he came out, Tsumugi wasn't there.

Izaya frowned. "My, aren't you an interesting one." He muttered and sighed. Namie noticed Izaya being quiet and decided not to ask him. It wasn't usual for Izaya Orihara to stay quiet at any sort of situation. And she also noticed that Tsumugi wasn't around. The previous day, when Namie was leaving Izaya's place, she saw Tsumugi entering. "You staying the night?" The girl nodded enthusiastically, and Namie felt sorry for her. But, even before Namie had arrived that day, she hadn't seen Tsumugi. Now, Namie decided to talk. "Did you tell her something and drive her off?" Izaya looked to Namie and his expression of boredom didn't alter. "You know, she might probably be the only one who likes you for being an asshole." Izaya chuckled.

"That might be true, but I can't give her more attention than any other human, because I-""Love all humans, right I know." Namie got back to work after that. But, Izaya's mind was tattered. He frowned because he couldn't concentrate and he hated feeling this traumatized. It couldn't be because of just one girl, could it? Then someone popped on the chat screen.

It was Mizore.

_Mizore: Feeling down, Kanra?_

_Kanra: Well, as much as I'd love to share my personal problems with you, I think I'll pass._

_Mizore: If I were beside you, you'd hear me laughing._

Izaya frowned. Why did this Mizore target him in the first place? Izaya was tired of putting up with his little games so he decided he'd end things once and for all.

_Kanra: Mizore, did you hear about the stalker? I think I know the person's real identity._

Izaya didn't, but Mizore didn't know that.

_Setton: Hi Kanra, who's this?_

_Mizore: You can read, I presume?_

_Setton: Uh, yeah. Hello there, Mizore._

_Mizore: There is no way anybody could know about the Stalker. Because…_

Celty was confused because her chat screen suddenly turned off. "Shinra?" She said, and the male doctor came to her call immediately and he was confused as well. "What the-"Suddenly there was a white empty chat screen that opened up and it said, _Celty Sterluson, the Dullahan. And Shinra Kishitani, the doctor who's in love with Celty, hello there. I am Mizore, the Stalker._

Celty gasped and Shinra frowned. "How did he get access into-"

_You might be wondering how I can access your computer. You see, as Kanra once mentioned I can hack into people's IP addresses and get free access into the internet you use. Your e-mail ID's and your little chat rooms as well. Kanra's IP address has already been hacked and now I want to hack Taro Tanaka, or should I say, Mikado Ryugamine?_

"This hacker is good." Shinra admitted and Celty was furious. She typed in, _What do you want with us?_

_Nothing really. I know your allies with Izaya Orihara. I want you to give me information about a certain person. His name is Tetsuya Hayashi. Izaya Orihara doesn't know much about the man, but I believe if you help me, I can get what I want._

Celty typed in, _Why should we help you?_

_Because you have no other choice, Miss Celty. I know where you can find your head._

And that was when Celty Sterluson allied herself with the Stalker.

Then Mizore sent a private message to Izaya using the phone. _I have the Dullahan on my side now, Kanra._

Izaya frowned. This Hacker was playing with him, he was sure of it. And then he got another text and it left him hanging.

_I'm sorry if I bothered you today, Iza-kun. No, wait. I'm sorry I bothered you all these days. You might love humans, but even you have a limit. I promise, I won't bother you ever again._

Before Izaya could reply to Tsumugi's message, there was another text. It was from Mizore.

_The games start now, Orihara. It's you vs. me. _

The next day, Izaya woke up alone. He missed the feeling of a girl beside him, and he grunted. He got up, and checked his phone. Only Mizore had texted him, but Tsumugi hadn't.

_Izaya, you have twin siblings? That's really nice._

"Really nice." Mizore muttered, and sent another text.

_I love twin girls. Personally, it brings back so many memories to me._

Izaya frowned. His sisters had nothing to do with this. This Mizore person was getting too personal, and that made Orihara even angrier. _This isn't supposed to get personal, is it Mizore?_ Izaya sent and the reply came instantly.

_Don't worry, I don't hurt little girls. Not any more at least._

Izaya smirked. It was his turn now. He was going to hack into Mizore's IP address. Izaya was a computer geek. It would take him a while, but he would most definitely do it. If he successfully hacked into Mizore's IP address, Mizore's true identity would be revealed and that meant Izaya could play with the hacker equally. He sent a message to Tsumugi that morning,_ Good morning, Mugi-chan. Hope you slept well._

Some part of him really hoped she did sleep well, because if there was a God, He knows Izaya didn't. There was no reply to that text and Izaya frowned slightly. He checked the chat screen and saw that Taro Tanaka was online.

_Private message from Taro Tanaka to Kanra: Kanra, the Stalker's hacked into my IP address!_

Izaya chuckled. This was about to happen, since Mikado did run the dollars page. Suddenly in their private conversation, Mizore popped in.

_Mizore: Hi there, guys. Kanra, who's in actuality Izaya Orihara and Mikado Ryugamine, a high school student who runs the Dollars. A mighty job for a scrawny kid like you, don't you think?_

Mikado was afraid. He didn't want the Stalker hacking into his webpage, and he didn't want any more harm to the Dollars. They had been through a lot already, so that only meant one thing. Mikado had to know who this Mizore person was. And there was only one way to do it. He sent a text to Izaya and that said, _I will try and help you find out who Mizore is, if you help me._

Izaya smirked. Mizore might have Celty helping him, but now Mikado was on Izaya's side. That also meant the entire Dollars gang was on his side. Izaya laughed maniacally and said, "You've lost this one Mizore!" And he continued laughing, ignoring the knocks on his door.

Tsumugi knocked twice and she could even hear him inside. He was laughing, and she knocked harder. But, even then he wasn't opening the door. "He knows it's me. He doesn't want me around. Oh well." Tsumugi sighed sadly and walked away, and saw Namie in front of her. "Hello Tsumugi." She said, and the girl pulled up her red scarf and walked away, after waving at Izaya's assistant. Namie felt sorry for the girl and walked inside and saw Izaya laughing at the chat screen.

"Hey, idiot. Did you know Tsumugi was just outside your door?" Izaya stopped laughing and continued to stare at his computer monitor. "Is that so?" He said, and his smile disappeared. He had to get to her, he had to find out the one thing that made her feel helpless. But every time he even got close to her, he couldn't help but forget what he wanted to do.

It was as if she made him forget.

So, he walked out of his house and followed Tsumugi. And he saw that she was being followed by two to three men, and Izaya frowned. She turned to them and one man tried holding onto her scarf. That was when he saw it. As soon as the man held onto her left shoulder, Tsumugi winced, and fell to the ground. Izaya's eyes widened, and he smirked. He found it.

The one thing that scared her.

Her injury.

But then again, he was proven wrong.

Tsumugi got up as soon as she fell and kicked the man between the legs and pushed him down. She turned around and punched the other two men, and threw one of them off her shoulder. Tsumugi looked angry. And then Izaya noticed something else.

He remembered Namie saying it to him once before, and that made Izaya even more interested in the girl, but now was when he saw it himself. His naïve and innocent Mugi-chan's eyes looked sadistic.

She was smiling slightly, her bangs covering her eyes.

And she walked away.

The next day, he would visit Sayuri Inoue once again. He was sure the primary things that could scare women wouldn't work on Tsumugi. Because, his Mugi-chan was special.

"Yes, my Mugi-chan. The one I'm going to watch suffer." He muttered to himself and walked back to his house.

* * *

**A/N: Izaya! Are you falling for Mugi-chan?**  
**And whoa, the divides have begun! Mizore and Celty vs. Izaya and the Dollars!**  
**Who's going to win?**  
**And, the whole show is being run by the Stalker himself.**  
**Review loves~ :)**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is a growing up.  
-James. A. Baldwin.**_

* * *

Tsumugi opened the door and found Izaya standing there. She didn't invite him inside like she usually did, and just stood there staring at him. "Aren't you going to invite me inside Mugi-chan?" Tsumugi blushed at what he called her and Izaya smirked. "But, yesterday you didn't even open the door for me Iza-kun. It was like I wasn't welcome." Izaya stared at her attire. The red scarf, and a full sleeved white shirt. Black shorts, and her legs extremely toned.

His gaze turned back to her face and saw her staring at him.

"But, I can't hate you. Come on in!" She led him inside, and Izaya smirked wider. He was going to scare her now, and he knew what he had to do. He had visited Sayuri earlier that day, and learnt of various ways to scare Tsumugi. Women were scared of a number of things, and Izaya had learnt of five new ways to scare the girl before him.

"Mugi-chan, did I ever tell you how beautiful you were?" Tsumugi smiled and held back a squeak of happiness. Izaya pulled the girl to her mirror in her room, and placed his hands around her waist. Tsumugi's eyes widened with what he was doing, and he placed his chin on her shoulder. Izaya made sure it was on the shoulder where her injury was, and Tsumugi flinched. "Ow." She said, and Izaya let her go. "Is something wrong?" Tsumugi nodded and said, "I was almost hit by a car yesterday on the way to your house. The window hit my shoulder."

Izaya frowned.

That wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, but anyways, it was time to execute his plan.

"Mugi-chan, I think you've put on weight a little." Tsumugi turned to the mirror and watched herself.

Izaya smirked. He knew she wasn't fat or anything close, she was perfect. But, he knew this was going to scare her, since she was a girl. And women hated gaining weight. 'Pocresophobia is the fear of gaining weight, women are more prone to this phobia, since well, women hate gaining weight.' Sayuri had told him earlier that day.

"What are you talking about, Iza-kun? I'm not fat." Tsumugi chuckled and turned to Izaya. 'Okay, plan one didn't work. So, here's time for plan two.' Izaya smiled at her and closed his eyes. "Sure, but, you know what? I saw this very attractive lady the other day, and I was thinking, why you aren't that pretty, you dress up like a boy sometimes, Mugi-chan."

Tsumugi blinked.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She stared at her legs, and then her chest. She looked at her face and licked her lips. She cocked her eyebrow and then closed her eyes. Izaya knew this plan was going to work. 'Cacophobia is the fear of ugliness. Every woman has this fear to some extent.' Sayuri had told him earlier that day.

"Nah, I think I'm a hot catch!" Tsumugi threw herself a flying kiss, and turned to Izaya and winked. Izaya's smile died and he faked one immediately. "You sure are." He muttered and immediately hugged Tsumugi. Her body stiffened as Izaya's hand travelled up her spine, and the other hand down her thighs.

'There's also another thing women are afraid of. Genophobia, the fear of sex.' Izaya was sure he wasn't going to go all the way, just enough to scare the girl.

"Iza-kun, what are you doing?" The man pulled back and stared into her eyes. "Mugi-chan, I think I want to sleep with you." Tsumugi's eyes widened. She blinked when Izaya buried his head at the crook of her neck, letting his hands massage her back and her thigh.

Something unrealistic happened.

Tsumugi threw her hands around his body and pulled him closer. Izaya was shocked, but some part of him expected the girl to throw this move at him. She did like him, so he should've expected this.

But the question was, how was he going to get out of this mess?

He didn't want to sleep with her, he found no need for that. Tsumugi sighed and said, "You're just trying to scare me aren't you Iza-kun?" Izaya pulled away and stared at her face. "You don't even like me, why would you want to sleep with me?" She said, smiling slightly.

Izaya frowned. "I don't-""It's okay. But, I'll tell you one thing about me okay? I don't think I'm afraid of anything. And since you don't like me, let's make a deal." Izaya listened.

"If you find out the thing I am most afraid of, I will leave Ikebukuro and never return." Izaya's heart jumped.

Did he really want that?

Some part of him didn't want her to leave, but this was a challenge, and Izaya Orihara never backed away from challenges. He smirked widely and sighed. "Alright, I accept the challenge Mugi-chan." Tsumugi smiled widely and she said, "I'm not afraid of sex by the way, if it's with you, I can do it any time of the day!" She twirled a strand of her hair and smirked as she said the next sentence, "But if it's someone else, I will kick them and make it difficult for them to walk." Izaya gulped.

She spoke so sweetly it scared him a little.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated and he checked to see it was Mizore. Izaya frowned and read the text. _Izaya, you have Celty's head don't you?_

Izaya frowned hard.

No one knew that, except Namie and…his gaze fell on Tsumugi who was looking at herself in front of the mirror. There wasn't a phone in her hand, and Izaya shook his head.

He typed a reply, _Of course I do. Are you going to tell the Dullahan that I do?_

Izaya stared at Tsumugi and she turned to face him. "Something wrong?" Izaya shook his head and smirked at her, closing his eyes. "Nope. Nothing's wrong." He continued to look as she walked closer to him, and embraced him. Izaya sighed and listened to her say, "You seem different today, Iza-kun. Did something happen?"

His phone vibrated and Izaya frowned.

It was Mizore.

There was no way Tsumugi could've been the Stalker.

He pushed her away slightly and said, "I need to get back to my place Mugi-chan, I have work to do." Tsumugi nodded and waved at him. Izaya walked out of the house and read the text.

This time, he was mind blown.

_Nope, your secret's safe with me. And btw, how do you think that Shizuo Heiwajima could listen to a naïve little girl? _

Mizore was talking about Tsumugi.

Now, even he was curious.

Before he could reply, there was another text from Mizore.

_Don't you want to know? I'll tell you~_

Izaya waited.

Then came a text message.

_Tsumugi Aizawa knows me._

Izaya was mind blown, for the third time that day.

He barged inside Tsumugi's house, and she turned to see him with wide eyes. "Iza-kun? Did you forget something?" Izaya frowned and threw a knife at the girl, it almost grazing her cheek. Tsumugi blinked and said, "Izaya-""Do you know Mizore?"

Tsumugi blinked.

"Who?" Izaya smirked and laughed. "Mizore. Don't play dumb, Mugi-chan-"His phone vibrated suddenly and he checked his phone.

He grunted as he read the text.

_FYI, Mizore isn't my real name. Tsumugi knows me by my real name._

Izaya frowned. He turned to see Tsumugi examining the knife. "Mugi-chan-""You tried to kill me just now." She said, and Izaya frowned. "I'm sorry Mugi-chan." Tsumugi frowned. "Do you want to kill me Izaya?" No Iza-kun.

Something's wrong.

She looked up to him and frowned. "I want you to leave." She said, and Izaya blinked. "Mugi-""Leave." She said, more firmly this time and Izaya sighed. He walked out of the house and down the apartment stairs. His phone vibrated.

_Poor Izaya, losing the only person in the world who loved him._

Izaya ignored the text and walked home. "Izaya!" Someone shouted from the back. He turned to see Tsumugi running toward him, and she embraced him.

"I can't stay mad at you!" She said, and Izaya didn't react to her much.

"I'm sure of it now, I wasn't before, but I am now." Izaya cocked his eyebrow.

"I love you!" She said, and Izaya frowned.

Izaya pulled her away and he didn't know what to say. "I-""You love humans, I know. But, I love you! You always said you'd want humans to love you just like you love them right? Well, most humans want you dead, but this human-"She pointed to herself. "-loves you Izaya!" She closed her eyes and smiled widely.

Izaya didn't know what else to do. But only realized a few things.

Yesterday, he felt guilty in not opening to door to her. He realized that he'd just bothered to go see Tsumugi on his own choice, and more than that, he'd actually spent around four months around her simply trying to figure out what she was afraid of. And just to see how she'd react if she was afraid. While some part of him knew there couldn't be anything that could scare her, but even so, maybe Izaya used that as an excuse to be around her? Maybe he kept telling himself he needed to find out what she was afraid of, just so he could have her around, and not lose her?

For once in his life, Izaya was frightened. He realized that he was becoming obsessed with Tsumugi, something even Namie had noticed and pointed out if not more than once.

And as interesting as if would be to see for himself, Izaya had to admit that he needed to speed things up and crush Tsumugi Aizawa for good. Before something dreadful happened.

Before he too, says those three words to her.

Mizore chuckled and lay back on the bed that night. 'Tetsuya Hayashi. I know I'm getting closer.' Mizore logged on chat and saw that Kanra was online. Mizore smirked and laughed slightly. 'He sure is confused after what happened today.' Mizore thought and switched off the computer.

'Once I find Tetsuya, I will end everything.'

Mizore closed their eyes and sighed.

'I will avenge you, Mizore. I promise. I will kill Tetsuya Hayashi.'

* * *

** A/N: Izaya, are you growing feelings for Mugi? Ooh, and Mugi knows who Mizore is? **  
**Hehe, anyway, my dearest readers, why do you think Shizuo listens to Tsumugi? A secret? Or is it because he likes her? Or is it because of something else? **  
**And, Izaya, when oh when are you going to accept your feelings for Mugi!?**  
**Review my dears, love to know what you think~ :)**


	8. Chapter 8

_**"A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended."**_

_**― Ian McEwan**_

* * *

For the first time in his life, Izaya found someone who annoyed him, instead of the other way around. Tsumugi was the one person Izaya didn't even come close to understanding, and somehow that was a fact he wanted to change as fast as he could. Izaya didn't want to grow closer to the girl than he already was. And he didn't even want to admit that he was close to her even now.

He wanted nothing more than to find out what Tsumugi Aizawa was afraid of, and he wanted nothing more than to watch her squirm.

And now, he wanted to use her for another thing.

To find out Mizore's true identity.

And so, Izaya believed that the smiles he threw at her, and the hugs he gave her, were all lies. He would try as much as he could to ignore her eyes, the glint in them that made his insides shudder. She would walk over to him, and all Izaya could notice were her bright smile and her patronizing smile.

Izaya frowned, and he knew he could compare right then- their eyes. His were dark, and told a story of malice and mockery, while hers shone with a defiant radiance that baffled him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to consume the happiness that flowed out of her eyes, or whether he wanted to destroy it and watch it burn.

"Izaya!" Mugi never called him Iza-kun anymore, she believed that they were lovers now, but Tsumugi knew the truth. As much as she wanted nothing more than to be called Izaya Orihara's lover, she knew that wouldn't be possible. Because she too, was aware of the lights that were emitted from a person's eyes.

She was aware that hers shone with love, while Izaya's shone with hatred and scorn. She knew he wanted nothing more than to drive her away, because as soon as he found out what she was afraid of, that meant Tsumugi would have to leave Ikebukuro.

Furthermore, she knew Izaya strived for that very fact. She smiled her most radiant smiles at him, and he smiled back, but they weren't smiles but were only mere masks being put on to keep away the truth from being revealed. The truth that Tsumugi wasn't loved, but only a nuisance.

"Mugi-chan." Izaya said, smiling at her, and Mugi looked down on the ground.

Izaya frowned when she did that.

She looked back up at him, and Izaya couldn't look away this time, her eyes captivated him to no extent.

That was when he got a text message.

Mizore had been bothering Izaya a little more than normal, and Mizore even told Izaya the reason Shizuo listened to every word Tsumugi asked him to do.

And even then, Tsumugi had no idea that she was involved in something malicious and horrifying.

The poor soul had no idea there were games being played around her, and somehow Izaya didn't like that. This Mizore person was a little too much like himself, and Ikebukuro didn't need two information brokers who played with people's lives.

_I contacted Shizuo before I contacted you, Izaya. I told him that Tsumugi was someone I knew really well, and if he listened to her, he would get his chance to kill you._

Izaya cocked his eyebrow, and sent a message, _But why did Shizu-chan listen to you? What proof did he have that he could kill me at the end of your bargain?_

The next answer baffled him.

_Because Shizuo knows my identity, and he knows I never let down a deal as important as that._

That was something he didn't expect. Now, if there was anyway Izaya could get info out of Shizuo about the true identity of Mizore, he knew it had to be through Tsumugi.

But, Izaya was waiting for the right time.

He needed insight, and he needed it fast. He needed to know the deal behind Mizore's background, why he needed to meet this Tetsuya Hayashi person, and what he wanted with him. Of course, Hayashi was Mizore's father, but considering Hayashi's past, the chances of him being a loving father were slim.

Mizore was either a psychopath or he wanted revenge.

That was all Izaya could fathom.

Tsumugi on the other hand, had to visit her brother for a few days. She met Izaya everyday yet couldn't tell him she was leaving for a week. Her brother had completed his education and he was now a doctor who was practicing medicine in Akita. Akita is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Honshu, the largest of Japan's islands.

It was a four hour flight, and Tsumugi would be picked up by her brother in Akita. She couldn't tell Izaya not because he wouldn't let her go, she knew he wouldn't even notice her gone.

But what stirred her the most was the fact that Izaya had an opportunity to see other women while she was away. Technically, she needn't be away for him to do whatever he wanted, Tsumugi disliked Namie with a burning passion, but even so, she felt a nagging ache at the bottom of her stomach when she thought about Izaya with another woman.

Tsumugi didn't know what made her love him. She was fully aware that he didn't love her, not in the very least, but she always believed that there was always some hope.

But when she thought about the present, she knew he didn't love her, and that revelation broke her to an extent where she could squeeze her hands till they were blue, and her heart till it hurt.

Izaya on the other hand, didn't notice that Tsumugi was having an inner battle with herself. And all he worried about was the identity of Mizore. He didn't notice Tsumugi standing by the door staring at him, and he ignored her presence as if she weren't there. Namie felt sorry for the girl when Tsumugi turned on her heel and walked home.

"Do you even care for that girl?" Izaya frowned, but Namie couldn't see it as his back was turned toward her.

"Who?"

Namie frowned. She was a woman as well, and whatever was happening to Tsumugi wasn't fair. If anyone could sustain Izaya's personality and stay beside him, then it was her and he was losing the only person that ever held positive feelings for him.

His own sisters would trade him for Shizuo's younger brother, and that was a sad fact.

"She loves you, you know." Izaya knew that.

He didn't love her, he knew that. Even Namie knew that, but then why was she even bothered about whether he felt the same about her or not? Was she trying to irritate him?

Izaya threw her a smirk and said, "Namie, you honestly don't believe that I could possibly love one human instead of every human do you-""I do. Please, Orihara, I despise you, that's without doubt, but that girl's made me think you have a heart as well. At least, that's what I think when I see the way you look at her when she sleeps."

Izaya frowned, and this time Namie saw it.

"Like she's the world." Namie said, and walked out.

Izaya sighed. He disliked what he was going through, and then before he could fathom what he would do to ease the tension in his brain, ther was a text message that changed the atmosphere.

_Tetsuya Hayashi is in Tokyo, and I want you to find out where he is and how long his stay is._

Izaya frowned. He was facing two problems, Tsumugi playing with his heart and Mizore playing with his life, but he concluded in the end that Mizore was an issue that was unavoidable.

_And why would I do that?_

Izaya didn't like being blackmailed, and till date there wasn't anything important to him enough that he was scared of losing. Izaya disliked having anything too close to him, and till date he didn't have anything that crossed that barrier.

Till that text message that he received, Izaya didn't realize how important a certain someone was to him.

_Tsumugi Aizawa has a brother named Kazue, and he recently got a job. She's going to visit him in Akita, and she's leaving tomorrow. You knew that didn't you?_

Izaya's eyes widened.

He didn't know that.

Tsumugi was acting strange all day, and now he knew why. He was ignoring her, and if he had once paid attention to her pleas for attention that she sought, he would've known about her little travel.

And that was when he noticed his hands shivering.

Izaya laughed, and struggled in replying to the text message, his hands were trembling, and the smile on his face meant several things at once. Most abundantly, it showed defeat.

He deleted the text he was about to send, and called Tsumugi, but the phone was switched off.

She must've gone to sleep.

_She won't be back for a week._

Another text from Mizore revealing another fact. Izaya laughed and sighed. "You got me." He admitted, and replied to the text.

_You can do whatever you want to her, I don't care._

And then the reply came within an instant, and the message radiated with mockery.

_You assume I am going to harm her, why is that? Is she someone worth harming to make you do something that I need? If so, then I will harm her. _

Izaya frowned and he wanted to break his phone.

That week was hectic for him. He tried his hardest to get to know about Tetsuya, and something about the man was well known, he was good at staying hidden. Izaya struggled, all for one person, and his mind didn't accept the fact Tsumugi had an impact on him in such a way.

A week passed, slowly, but painfully.

And in the airport, Izaya waited, knowing Tsumugi would be back on that day. And he could see her, white earphones plugged in, brown messy hair, those green eyes of hers that shone behind the glasses she wore.

Izaya let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

She was alive, and she was safe.

Mizore hadn't gotten to her, and Izaya smiled this time. For real. And he noticed Tsumugi had caught sight of him, and smiled back at him, emitting the radiance that she always carried around with her. She skipped towards him, and Izaya unknowingly walked a few steps toward her.

In an instant, he threw his arms around her neck, and held her closer than a longer time than he anticipated. "Izaya, I thought you wouldn't even notice I was gone." Tsumugi spoke and Izaya sighed and he honestly would have told her he was worried sick about her all through the week, and since she wasn't picking his calls that worried him even more.

"You left without telling me, why?" Izaya asked, smirking at her, and Tsumugi grinned sheepishly. "Like I said, I thought you wouldn't notice that I was gone." Izaya smirked wider.

And all through this time, Izaya was still holding on to the girl.

"Izaya, you really don't have to pretend I make you happy, I mean, Namie must've told you I wasn't at Ikebukuro. I don't make you happy anyways." She said, and she could swear that the man's grip around her neck firmed for just a brief second, and before she could judge the meaning behind such a gesture he released her and smirked wider at her.

"I've got a favor I want from you."

Tsumugi knew all Izaya wanted was a favor, and she knew all he wanted from her was entertainment.

But the next thing he said, startled her.

"A kiss."

Tsumugi stared at him wide eyed and her jaw dropped slightly. "Mugi-chan, won't you kiss me?" Tsumugi blinked at the male before her and walked close to him and stood on her tip toes and pecked his lips.

And after that, she didn't say anything.

Tsumugi was too quiet, and Izaya didn't like that.

"That wasn't a kiss-"With one sudden movement, Izaya kissed the girl and pulled her closer to him, pushing his tongue inside her mouth. He kissed her for a full solid minute, and Tsumugi said, "Izaya, you-you…" She didn't know what to say.

Izaya looked into her eyes, and saw the very same light emitting from them. And this time, he saw something else.

The reflection of his own reddish brown orbs, and they were shining the same way.

And for one second, Izaya knew that if anyone was going to change him for the better, it was this person in front of him.

His phone vibrated next.

_I hope you've got the information ready, Izaya._

As soon as he checked the message he frowned.

He knew one more thing, there was another person that could change him, and that was Mizore.

'Life is cruel Izaya, and I am sorry.' Mizore thought and frowned.

* * *

**A/N: Aww Izaya. Mean Mizore. **  
**Sorry for the slow update, college is moving really fast. And if it's any consolation, I am having a lot of fun in my personal life for the first time! (I'm not a very social person, I've lived in the internet for all I can remember.) So, what do you think of the latest installment? **  
**Tell me what you think, I shall be eagerly awaiting your reply! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, like diamonds we are cut with our own dust._**

**_-John Webster_**

* * *

Mizore had the information, and that wasn't satisfactory. Something was missing, but the awareness that Izaya Orihara had performed his level best on the task was evident. So Mizore decided to leave him alone for a while, and enjoy life. Mizore needed to search this time, and with the little information, Mizore knew it wouldn't be too hard.

Tsumugi was writing fan fiction when Izaya entered her abode. "Mugi-chan." He smiled and he saw her smile right back at him, making his insides explode with an unknown feeling. "Izaya! I was thinking about you." She wasn't lying and Izaya knew she wasn't.

He sat down next to her and smelled her hair and Tsumugi giggled, this action tickling her. Izaya loved the smell of her hair, and his gaze turned to the screen of her laptop, she was busy at work.

'…For love was a strong word, and sometimes betrayal does not always mean love was never there. She knew what she was doing to him was a mistake, but this was a mistake that would pull him out the darkness, and this was a mistake through which she could finally find redemption…'

"Intense." Izaya smirked and Tsumugi closed the laptop. She turned to Izaya and smiled. "Izaya, what's bothering you?" Izaya never once told her about Mizore. He knew it didn't concern her, but at the same time, she was his ticket to find out Mizore's identity.

"A stalker." Tsumugi frowned, an expression Izaya never could see every day. Somehow, he found this expression attractive, and he smirked and pulled her closer to him, his hands circling around her waist.

"Don't worry, Mizore isn't scaring me." Tsumugi bit her lip, and blinked once and whispered, "Okay." She smiled almost immediately. Izaya noticed the change in her facial expression, and that left him confused.

Tsumugi was hiding something, but he didn't take it to his head, because he knew this girl could hide nothing about herself from him. She wasn't the type to hide.

But Izaya knew this girl was mysterious, not in the usual ways, but in a very bizarre way. Tsumugi seemed the type to hide things behind smiles, her thoughts and emotions could be masked behind a fake smile. Maybe that was what she was doing right then.

Tsumugi kissed Izaya's nose all of a sudden and said, "I'm going to make green tea!" And got out of the couch and skipped to the kitchen, radiating a trail of happiness wherever she went. Izaya chuckled and sighed. It had been three days since he had received a single text from Mizore. Three days since Tsumugi had returned and three days since Izaya handed the information to Mizore about all he knew on Tetsuya Hayashi.

Tsumugi returned and Izaya looked to see her. The usual red scarf wasn't around her neck this time, only to be seen on the couch where she sat. She wore a pink full sleeved shirt, and shorts that revealed her legs. His gaze shifted to her chest and he frowned. This wasn't good.

"Tea! Did you know that until the 19th century, solid blocks of tea were used as money in Siberia?" Izaya didn't care, for all he saw was Tsumugi's body and that alone. Nothing could distract his gaze now.

Tsumugi sat down beside him, and handed him the cup. She drank the tea slowly, savoring the taste and smiled after each sip, while she didn't noticed Izaya's frowning face, as he was seemingly upset with something that appeared to be bothering him. He drank the tea real quick, and glared at the ground, as if it threatened to kill him.

Izaya had no time for this. He was here for a reason, to know who Mizore was. Since Shizuo was the only person Izaya knew who Mizore was, and Tsumugi the only person who could get him information through Shizuo, he needed her help.

He still believed he didn't love her, but what was happening to him now as annoying and it was something he couldn't escape. For Izaya loved humans, all humans and that fact was true, but at the same time, Izaya Orihara was a man with needs.

Izaya usually was very preoccupied to bother about women. Whether it might be attractive women, naked women, sluts and women who wanted to sleep with him, he didn't care and he didn't have the time to. Possibly because Izaya was one of the only 'straight' young men on the surface of the earth who didn't think about _such things_ nearly as often as they should, not because he was innocent or decent by heart, simply because he was busy with playing with people and trying to create a war in Ikebukuro so that it would wake Celty's sleeping head.

Izaya didn't even need to think twice about the women who asked for his help, and he never accepted their offers of 'Can we take this to my place?' Because, he was Izaya Orihara and that was the way things worked, for all the years he had worked as an informant.

Now however, something unexpected, something which was regarded an unforeseen factor in his life had come into his life and crossed his path blocking his mind from the usual turns it took. He found himself being voracious, something edgy troubled him between his legs, and he could barely sit down straight because of it, since Tsumugi Aizawa was sitting right next to him, a little too close for comfort.

Her legs, her very trivial yet still conspicuous curves, her chest, her fragranced hair that he loved so much and now, her very existence bothered his eyes, and his mind. Not in a bad way, but for him it was a distraction that he needed to get rid of.

Izaya Orihara knew he had no time for lustful sidetracks since, he was a busy man, an informant who people still depended on whether they liked it or not, and he had more important matters to deal with, he couldn't afford to be stuck thinking of her body while the reason he was here was to get her to help him bring out Mizore's identity, an action which he believed Mizore already knew he would take.

"Izaya, is something bothering you?" She turned to ask him, and placed her hand on his cheek to turn his gaze toward her, her green orbs melting their way into his brownish red ones. "What the hell are you doing to me?" Izaya frowned and pushed her down the ground, him on top of her and Tsumugi's expression numb.

"Izaya-"The male kissed her lips, and his hands went down her shirt, feeling the skin with his bare hands, a feeling so quenching that he never knew he felt this immense thirst in the first place. It was as if he was satiating a desire he knew not he had, and Izaya felt extreme satisfaction.

Tsumugi on the other hand frowned. She looked around the room, and raised her hands above Izaya's body, making sure not to touch him. Some other time would be perfect for such an act, but right now she was at a danger of exposure. Of something she didn't want to reveal.

His phone vibrating, and Izaya ignored it. His phone rang, and he chuckled, not needing to answer anything, since the male was immersed with the woman under him, and Tsumugi's worried expression didn't stop him. Tsumugi sighed in the end and said, "We should go to the bedroom, my back hurts." Izaya chuckled and got off of her, and Tsumugi smiled at him.

She ran to the bedroom, and into the bathroom she went, Izaya slowly following her behind.

She waited for him on the bed, her face red and the smile evident. Izaya pushed himself onto her, and this time, completed his task of gratifying his needs. Tsumugi loved him, and let him do all of what he needed to do to her, and Izaya did. He believed that he would get rid of the need for her body once he had had it. But the thirst only grew stronger, along with another feeling which he didn't quite understand.

He watched her watch him, and his hand was around her bare shoulders, the blanket covering their naked bodies. "Izaya, do you love me?" Tsumugi found herself asking, and Izaya didn't answer. She didn't push him to answer it for she knew what had just happened. She did feel used, she did feel sorrow at her position in her heart, but her face didn't show it.

Izaya would have honestly told her he loved her right then, but something stopped him. Something shiny from the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and he could see a light from inside.

A small light that could only be emitted from something as small as a mobile phone screen.

But he didn't care right then, his gaze was on Tsumugi Aizawa and he kissed her forehead. But what he didn't know was the curiosity that he brushed away was the information he needed all along.

The identity of Mizore was leading him to this girl, but he knew she had nothing to do with it, and that one light he ignored from the bathroom, was going to answer his questions. And that question was going to be unanswered for a longer time.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh what is happening? I know. But I won't say. At least not yet.**  
**Hahaha! I know I'm evil because I can be. :P**  
**Anyways, review my loves, give me your opinions! **  
**I love to read them. Brings me joy. :3**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on._**

**_-Winston Churchill_**

* * *

Izaya Orihara didn't love Tsumugi Aizawa. Or, that was what he thought. Every time he saw her smiling face, he would tell himself secretly, nowadays the words coming to him on impulse, triggered by even the thought of Aizawa that he didn't love her. Sometimes, the things that you most certainly want to avoid are the things that nag you almost every time you open your mind to think.

And Izaya wanted to avoid the question that answered whether he loved Tsumugi or not.

Tsumugi on the other hand, was a happy woman, who was happily in love with one of the most hated men in Ikebukuro, but there were strange things happening around them, for even she noticed, strange things that made Izaya come home a little late than usual, strange things that actually scared her. Not like she would admit it to him, she wouldn't. She was afraid that he would ask her to keep the end of her bargain and leave him, because he had identified what she was afraid of. Tsumugi was walking in the street, her mind buried in the music she was listening to, and the scarf keeping her face warm that cold winter evening. She didn't see Shizuo Heiwajima standing a little ahead of her, buying coffee.

Predictions being correct, Mugi bumped into him, and Shizuo almost dropped the cup. His gaze was intense until it landed on the girl. Tsumugi didn't say a word, her eyes staring at his, the two having an unusual silence between them. Tsumugi began walking, and Shizuo walked beside her. It was hard to say if she was listening to music at this point of time, because she was worried about her surroundings. She didn't want Izaya taking notice of her. She would probably be the only one who could hide things from him, and she intended to keep it that way.

Tsumugi's stare was on the ground, and Shizuo looked at nothing in particular. Tsumugi's attire was a full sleeved black shirt, and her hands were on the scarf, holding it to her face. "How are you?" Shizuo's voice finally broke the silence between them, and Tsumugi nodded. To most questions, as the readers would have guessed, Tsumugi would have replied merrily, her voice bouncing with reasonless joy. Her replies then, made it seem like she was sort of like a doppelganger of Tsumugi, a person that looked just like Tsumugi Aizawa, but behaved in the exact opposite way.

"Shizu-chan, how are you?" Tsumugi's voice was fierce, yet serene, an unusual combination that characterized how she was full in control with what she was saying and to whom she was saying it to. The male beside her sighed, and Shizuo didn't utter anything for a while. "I'm better than you are." He said, and walked away, waving to her. Tsumugi stood there for a minute, before her eyebrows furrowed, and the girl walked away, minding her own business, and her being swallowed off into the busy streets.

Tsumugi Aizawa walked to the local hospital staring at it with a keen eye, not actually walking inside. Even through her concentration on the automatic opening doors of the building, she could tell someone was behind her, and something told her it was Izaya, her one sided lover. His hands encircled around her waist, and Tsumugi smiled on impulse. "Izaya." She cooed, and the male purred in her neck. "What're you doing here Mugi-chan?" Tsumugi smiled and turned around, now fully facing him. "Fanfiction. I was thinking of killing a character." Izaya cocked his eyebrow. "Why?"

Tsumugi closed her eyes and gulped. "Because that character hurt the protagonist in a way they can't heal." Izaya chuckled and put his arm around her neck and said, "Too much thinking like that is gonna make you get wrinkles Mugi-chan, you'll look older than you already are." His voice somehow made her smile, gave her an assurance that nothing was wrong in this world. Even if the voice indeed belong to a man who was despised simply for actually just existing, Tsumugi found a unique sense of solace in him.

"Izaya, I love you." She told him, being utterly and candidly honest. Izaya suddenly stopped walking, and turned to look at Tsumugi, her green eyes fixed at him, and her glasses standing firm at where they should. "Mugi-chan, I love humans." He told her, but his mind yelled at him for lying. Tsumugi smiled and nodded, her brace on his hand tightened as she said, "I know. I don't care. I love you, and you know what, you're human too. And that cute face of yours also is going to grow old one day, and when that happens, I'll be there growing old with you, Izaya." Izaya's heart felt like it was being clutched by a five year old child, and being crushed.

His hold on her firmed a bit, an action that Tsumugi noticed and something told her he was believing her. It wasn't as if she was lying, she wasn't. Izaya's mind echoed with her words, and that was something which made him think of things differently. He knew right then that Tsumugi wasn't lying to him about the growing old part, and he didn't know if that was what he wanted. His mind was conflicted, something unusual for a person knowing exactly what he wanted.

After they each went to their houses, Tsumugi walked to her room, and closed the door. She locked the windows, and she sat on the bed, thinking for a bit. She checked the time, and she looked to her laptop, and sighed. She took the device in her hands, and began to type and before actually beginning, she muttered, "Updating time."

Izaya felt haunted. He didn't tell anyone that he had actually 'seen' Tetsuya Hayashi a few days ago, in an underground bar, and that made him realize that Mizore didn't get all accurate information all the time. But, if Izaya gave this information to Mizore that meant that he could be free of the stalker, and not worry about anything anymore. He could concentrate more on Tsumugi, and trying to resolve his conflicting feelings toward the girl that wanted to grow old with him, and that would shorten one of the problems at hand.

Therefore, he texted Mizore about the news.

Mizore on the other hand, didn't know about this, and the stalker frowned slightly and didn't decide to ask Izaya about not informing the stalker about this earlier. Mizore knew about Izaya's confliction and decided not to act on it. Mizore in return replied to Izaya telling him a small thank you, a gesture that shocked the informant, and Mizore got to business.

Tsumugi typed her own novel in secret. She didn't want Izaya knowing about it already, she wanted it to be completely written and then she would show it to him, since that would be the last thing he would see from her, and of her. Her novel would reveal to him what really scared her and that would make her leave. Even though she didn't want to leave him, she would keep the end of her bargain, and that meant leaving Ikebukuro.

…_'several people gathered at the junction where the trains met, and even then she had a nagging sense that made her not want him to see her, she didn't want him to see the madness that consumed her, and she could tell, she could indirectly be the guiding force for him to keep him away from her. He was a bad man, a bad man turned good, some of the rarest and sporadic events that occurred at the time of man, and she was alive to witness it. Yet, she believed that his negativity, and his drawbacks were nowhere close to hers. For her crimes for lying to him, were far greater, and if she could ask the angels above to tell him where to go, she would ask them to tell him that, that way madness lies, do not choose that path, and in the end, he would choose the right way, the correct path. The path away from her…_'

Something struck Izaya right then. Something, very mystical, and a feeling so intense he couldn't even begin to explain it. He wanted to know desperately who Mizore was, and now the fact the Stalker abruptly thanked him and just left him was something Izaya Orihara couldn't conjure. "Tsumugi is the only one that can help me." Izaya said, but he didn't want her involved. She had so much going on around her, even without her knowing, one of the rarest persons on the earth who was so uncorrupted, and some part of him wanted that to remain.

"I'll ask Shizu-chan myself. I know he can't kill me." Izaya smirked and walked out of the house, not bothering that it was night time.

Tsumugi turned to look out of her window to see a familiar blonde waiting there, and Tsumugi turned back to her computer, and checked her shirt. Full sleeved black top. She clutched her wrists, and blinked once. She looked back to the screen of the laptop and frowned, seeing something she clearly didn't like. She got off the bed, and walked out, ignoring the fact that it was cold outside, and that she wore shorts. She noticed Shizuo wearing an unreadable expression and she asked him from the other side of the empty street. "What do you want?"

Shizuo didn't really need anything, he was just passing by. He was passing by her house, and happened to stare at it longer than usual, and he had caught notice of that. But, telling her that he wanted nothing was something she wouldn't believe. "Nothing." He said, anyway.

Tsumugi frowned and crossed the street. But, something caught her attention and her blood ran cold. She could see a man, a white shirt, and dark pants. He was someone even Shizuo recognized and Tsumugi stood shocked. She quickly ran behind Shizuo and embraced him, making the male grip on to his fist tighter than usual. And, after the other person walked away, Tsumugi released him, and from behind them she heard the sound of two palms clapping against each other.

The palms belonging to Izaya Orihara.

To this action, Tsumugi knew she couldn't explain, for he had witnessed an action that was so unlike the Tsumugi he knew. "What's happening here?" He mocked at them, a frown on his face instead of the usual Cheshire grin.

And for those who even didn't know what kind of man Izaya was and how well of an actor he was, and for those who knew that fact about him, everyone and anyone right then could tell, that the male was outraged. This time, Izaya Orihara failed to mask his rage, but it was also decipherable that he might have not wanted to at all, from the beginning. For this anger didn't come out of hatred, it came out of distress and deceit. And it was that type of ire, that needed to be feared most.

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**A/N: Omigosh! What's happening? DX**  
**I know, but I won't say.**  
**Why? Because I'm evil and I'm so evil that I'm leaving you guys with a cliffhanger. **  
**XD**  
**Anyways, review my dears. I love you all so much. **  
**Tell me what you think of the latest installment!**


	11. Chapter 11

**_What is life? A madness. What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough; for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams._**

**_-Pedro Calderon de la Barca_**

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Izaya Orihara was a man who was known to fake almost anything. A kind face, a helping nature, and even feelings. But, when he saw Tsumugi and Shizuo alone, that night, Tsumugi a little too close with the man he despised most, and coming from someone who happened to love human beings, this was extreme. It was easy to get angry, and remain angry at anything at all. But when it came to minute things that needed to be observed, like, to be angry with the right person, and at the right decree, and at the right time and for the right purpose, human beings falter most at this path. Because anger is and will always will be difficult and not easy.

Tsumugi knew any kind of explanation she fed Izaya right then would not reach his brain, but only travel off his ears, and now that Shizuo was here, there was no way she can prevent this from being anything less than barbaric. Let alone, she still tried. "Izaya." She said, and the male didn't even glance at her. Shizuo didn't move, for he knew what had happened just then was something too hard for the girl beside him could digest. He was furious though, to actually see Izaya in town. "What are you doing here, Izaya?" Shizuo threateningly asked, and Tsumugi closed her eyes.

She was shivering, and she didn't say a word. She didn't want Izaya to fight, and she didn't want any sort of violence happening before her. She breathed hard, her face red, and her head spinning. She shut her eyes as tightly as she could, and the red scarf pressed to her face. She placed her hands in front of her face and whimpered slightly, a sound which was almost inaudible. She was afraid, and if only Izaya noticed this, things would turn for the worse.

'Please notice me, Izaya.' Was all Tsumugi could think about. Her legs shivered, and she stepped backward, and her eyes burnt when she opened them. She could see Izaya holding his pocket knife, and Shizuo trying to grab something off the road. "Stop." She said, a sound ignored just as she expected.

It was too much to take. Tsumugi closed her eyes, groaning, her body shivering like a scared rabbit. She was afraid. She knew Izaya was in no way strong enough to kill Shizuo, and she knew right then, with his state of mind, angry and confused, Izaya's mind would more likely be aggressive rather than smart. Izaya took notice of the girl this time, and he frowned hard. "You're shaking like a bunny, Mugi-chan." Izaya commented, and his eyes suddenly widened. This was it. He had discovered it.

Tsumugi laughed once, and her green eyes met his brownish-red ones. "You figured it out, that's amazing, Iza-kun." Tsumugi's eyes welled with tears and she smiled widely, letting tears fall. "You're afraid…" Izaya said, mostly to himself, letting it sink in. Shizuo hated this. He didn't want to be a part of it, but with the little amount of sanity that was left in him, he chose to walk away. Izaya walked toward the girl and observed her face, she was afraid. She was shaking, and she had a smile on her face which admitted defeat. "You should be pleased. You've finally figured out what scares me." He didn't understand.

"What scares you?" He asked, his voice a whisper.

"You. Izaya. You scare me." She admitted and Izaya didn't understand. He couldn't scare her, he tried to hurt her so many times, but she never even flinched, and now she says that he was the one who scared her, his confusion showed itself on his face and Tsumugi saw it. "I've tried hurting you so many times-""No, no…it's not that. I'm afraid of what can happen to you Izaya, what will happen. What could happen because of you, and after that you would leave me…" Tsumugi spoke softly and Izaya gulped.

"I love you, Izaya. It's always been that way all this time, but I know you don't. I want to grow old with you, watch you smile and live your life to the fullest, and at the same time you want nothing but to watch me suffer, and find out what scares me. Sometimes, I don't even know why I love you, and I know I'm not supposed to, because of so many reasons, but every time I look at you, I end up falling even harder. I'm not supposed to care about you, I'm not supposed to wonder what we could be, but I can't help it, Izaya, I love you. And even for a person like me, something as paradoxical as love can make sense, and to you, a smart person who uses reasons to understand things, love is the one thing you stray away from. And, here I am, keeping the end of my bargain. I will leave Ikebukuro, for good." And Tsumugi walked away, not out of the street, but out of Izaya's life.

He could have said something, anything, but his body was too late to react. But, his body found its way home, and somehow, it even found its way to the bedroom to catch the night's sleep. He woke up the next day, feeling like the world had left him. There was nothing he could say, he believed all this while that he didn't love her, and now that she was 'apparently' gone from him, he needed it back. He needed to be loved again, and he needed Tsumugi. But, this was something his mind wouldn't agree with and his heart was mute. "Something eating you?" Namie asked him, and Izaya didn't react. "Don't feel like playing with anyone?" Izaya didn't say anything.

Namie sighed and before she could throw him another question, Izaya spoke, "Tsumugi left me."

She left Ikebukuro, not him. Izaya was talking just out of a state of immense confusion and depression. "Serves you right. You never treated her with the respect she deserved, and that girl loved you no less, so she needed more praise than most women." Namie uttered making Izaya crawl back into his depression hole.

But there were people in this earth that didn't take depression in the usual way. Eating, and sulking. People like Izaya grew angrier and more unpredictable when they're depressed. And right then, Izaya didn't even know he was supposed to be depressed. He didn't love Tsumugi. He didn't love Tsumugi-"I didn't love her-""Idiot. You were always stuck up with the idea that you don't love her. But, you did. I or anyone could tell for that matter." Namie said, and Izaya frowned. He checked his phone, and saw that there were no texts from Tsumugi.

And none from Mizore as well.

That was when Izaya needed to divert his mind off to something that would actually distract him. Mizore's identity. And to most people and to how they would judge or take being played with, Izaya wanted nothing more than to watch Mizore burn for actually playing with his life. It took Izaya ten minutes to locate Tetsuya Hayashi, and that was when Izaya smirked for the first time that day. "You're insane." He ignored Namie's usual description about him, and Izaya stood up. "I need to visit someone, Namie." He said, and walked out.

* * *

_Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived two princesses who were deprived of love. They got everything they needed, food at the snap of their finger, and clothes, the most extravagant across the lands. They had someone to brush their long brunette locks and they had someone to help them put on their slippers. The sisters would love to see the outside world, but neither of them asked thinking the latter was happy living inside the castle._

_One day, the elder sister took the courage to ask her younger sister the question she had been meaning to ask from a long time. "Can we go out, today?" The sister agreed, and they went to the King, who declined their wish. "Not today, tomorrow." He would say, and the sisters would smile, wishing upon tomorrow, making plans and defining their decree of fun that they would have in the outside world._

_The next day, the sisters went to the King, and repeated their question. "Can we go out today?" The King declined and smiled at his children. "Not today, tomorrow." The sisters were a little distressed, but they believed their father and walked back into their rooms, living on with the same plans that they were joyfully living inside their minds._

_The next day came, and the sisters were born with the same amount f hope they had when the idea came to them, and they asked their father the same question. But, this time, the answer was the same, but the younger sister did not suspect a thing that her father told her. It was the elder sister, the more curious one who made up notions in her mind. And when the two walked back into their rooms, it was the elder sister who finally had deduced. "Our father is lying to us." She said to her sleeping sister, and she snuck out of the castle. She walked outside, and stepped on the cold grass, soft under her feet. She smelt the air, fresh and had a tinge of moisture in the air. She could not see what the outside looked like, for the night had no moon. But, the morning came, and the elder sister was in for a shock._

_She saw that the castle she thought she lived in was no castle, but a dungeon. She saw that the moist ground she was standing on was no fresh grass, but of blood and human carcass. The air did not smell fresh anymore, it smelt of blood and the sooner she guessed where she had been, the sooner she ran back into the place she was falsely stationed in._

_Her sister was nowhere to be found. "You do not have a sister." The King, no, her father told her. "But, I do." The father smiled at her and said, "If so, then what is her name?" The sister did not know._

_"I don't know." The father smiled more and said, "What is her name?" The sister did not know. "I don't know." "Then you don't have a sister. You cannot have a sister. No one can go out from here. That way-"He pointed to the outside. "-Madness lies." But the elder sister knew this man was lying. She knew she had a sister, and she ran into what had been her room and found no one._

_And when she returned, she saw no one there again._

_She was alone, in that dungeon, not knowing why she was here anymore. She walked to the terrace, to the place her sister and she had walked to all the time. She was never afraid of heights, but her sister was. She looked down the building, and saw nothing that she had once seen before. It was then that it struck to her. She had been living a lie, all her life. For times she did not know had passed. For things had moved on, on the outside, but she did not know. For that girl had always been inside, and outside madness lay waiting for her, and the sister believed two things. "I will find my father. And through him, my sister." She believed that was the only action that was left. "And when I find my father, I will kill him." She will kill him, not for the life she had lived. But, for the life she could have lived, if not for him. And for the life he had taken away from her, in the name of madness. For madness never lay outside, but it did within._

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**A/N: Oooh, what has this author written here? :3**  
**I know, but as usual, I won't say.**  
**Anyways, we're kind of at the end. I'm not sure how many more chapters, but I know there aren't many more left.**  
**Those who reviewed, read and loved this story, I love you.**  
**Keep reviewing! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

_The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition._

_-W. H. Auden_

* * *

Izaya Orihara was not happy when he discovered where Tetsuya Hayashi was. Just a few days ago, he was safe, roaming freely, and undetected. He had no charges against him for being a hacker, and Izaya himself had met him once after he had arrived in Ikebukuro.

But currently, Tetsuya Hayashi was at a psychiatric ward. In other words, locked up in a mental asylum.

The turn of events confused Izaya, just like it would confuse any man, but Izaya was no ordinary man. He told himself that more than any other person, leading him to believe it. Izaya decided to go and have a chat with Tetsuya about his offspring, Mizore. That would give him the answers that he needed.

Izaya's mind had to be occupied with something other than the girl that left him. He didn't understand anything about her in the end, and now she left him for good. Some part of him, no most parts of his insides wanted her back, she brought him unexplainable joy. He didn't want to talk about her, and solving one problem made him believe that his mind would set itself on ease, and that would give him some sort of rest.

Izaya went to the hospital, where Tetsuya had been admitted to, and spoke to one of the nurses, who allowed him in. Tetsuya's hands and legs were tied using a straightjacket, and Izaya almost didn't recognize him. The man before him had shabby brown hair, and his eyes were almost grey. "Who're you, boy?" Tetsuya's voice was thick and coarse, Izaya having to almost stutter in his reply. "Izaya Orihara." Tetsuya chuckled.

"You're that informant, aren't you? Yes, that's who you are. You must be wondering what I'm doing here, right? I'm not crazy, don't think that." Izaya chuckled and said, "Crazy people are the ones who are in denial." Tetsuya smirked slightly and said, "It's your choice to believe it, boy. I don't give a fuck." Izaya laughed at his remark, and said, "You still are the same. What happened to you?" Tetsuya sighed deeply, and uttered something which Izaya didn't catch. "I should've been here a long time ago. Now, I feel fine. I'm not sadistic anymore." Izaya waited.

"I did some…crazy things back then. Now I know they're crazy things. And the doctors didn't bind me then. Now, they decide to hold me in when my head is intact." Tetsuya laughed loudly, ending it by coughing roughly. "What did you do? Other than torture your family?" Izaya asked and the male cocked his eyebrows before erupting in laughter.

"That's what I did boy! Isn't that enough? Installing madness into the minds of my children! Isn't that a crime?" Izaya sighed. "You killed your children after torturing them-""Did I tell you that?" Izaya froze. His mind clouded with thoughts that he believed were impossible, and Mizore came into the picture. "Your child wants you dead." Izaya didn't know if Mizore were a boy or a girl. He didn't know Mizore's real identity, and he didn't know how old he/she was, or even what his/her real name was. He knew nothing about Mizore but the fact that he/she wanted to kill his/her father.

"Not one. Two. I had twins." Izaya didn't move, but one thought came into his mind. A thought recalling a past conversation with Mizore. He remembered it so clearly at that moment, now it was falling into picture.

_I love twin girls. Personally, it brings back so many memories to me._

Mizore's text message had said that to him once.

Izaya frowned slightly. "What happened to them? What did you do?" Izaya asked, this time wanting to know more than anything. "I didn't want to raise those wretched things. Their mother died after they were born, and I had to take them. I adored the elder one's eyes. They were just like mine." Tetsuya smiled. Izaya listened. "The younger one was a quiet one. Always obeyed whatever I asked it to." 'It? He makes it sound like an object.' Izaya chuckled internally. "The elder one was a rebel. I loved the elder one. So much. So much." There was a shift in Tetsuya's voice. Izaya could tell it was filled with adoration, and a slight tint of mad obsession.

"I kept them for seven years with me. Seven years, those beings lived with me. My babies. I kept them at my house back at the country side. Alone and isolated. Away from society. I gave them clothes, and I gave them food. I didn't let them out though, I didn't want to lose my children. Madness lied outside, you know…Madness…it can be so very addicting…to stay like the way I was." Tetsuya laughed menacingly. "I made them watch me kill people. I made them watch me push people off the buildings and I made them kill people as well." Izaya frowned. This was something too hard for him to take in. The children were only seven years old.

"What were their names?" Izaya asked.

"I didn't name them." Tetsuya replied. Izaya chuckled, not because he found it amusing, it was because some part of him felt deep sorrow.

"The elder one asked me to send it outside once-""It? You make them sound like items Hayashi-""Did I? Oh no, my baby girls. My twin baby girls." Izaya recalled.

Mizore liked the fact Izaya had twin sisters.

"The elder sister wanted to go out one day, and she did. I didn't want her to. She saw the outside. She saw the blood on the grass. She came back to me to see how her sister was, and I asked her what her sister's name was, and she didn't know…how could she know while I didn't even name them? I told her she didn't have a sister, while I held her sister in my hands." Tetsuya laughed as he said, "The younger one was bleeding. I stabbed her in heart you see. I didn't like the younger sister's eyes." Izaya frowned.

"She ran to the roof, pulling her unconscious sister with her. I followed, with a knife in my hand, asking the elder sister to stay. I loved her eyes, so pure they were, so innocent. I loved everything about my eldest daughter. I wanted her eyes for myself, you know. And then, in the roof, I remembered that the younger one was afriad of heights, but the younger one was unconscious, and I told her about it." Tetsuya sighed before continuing.

"The elder one turned to me with a smile. A smile so much like mine, and said, 'I will kill you.'" Tetsuya laughed.

"She hugged her sister, and jumped down with her. I c0uld tell she was hurt. She prevented the fall by landing below her sister. The elder one loved the sister so much, it shocked me…she was not like me at all…but her eyes…her eyes…were like mine, you see? She was sadistic too!" Izaya didn't want to listen to him anymore.

"What happened to them after that?"

"I don't know…I never saw them again. I remember how bloody my hands were. I killed my daughter, the younger one, I still feel the blood in my hands every day." Tetsuya laughed one last time. "Say, do you know my child?" Izaya sighed before opening the door to the outside, "All I know is she wants to kill you." Tetsuya laughed. "Is she like me? Is she not like me? I cannot say, you know…she…if kills me then she is…she doesn't then she's not…"

And after Izaya had walked out, Tetsuya muttered one simple fact. "I like green. My eyes were once green. Green like my baby girl's."

Izaya didn't ask him one vital question. One question that could have answered the query inside of his mind. About the identity of Mizore. He knew the past of his stalker was dark, perhaps too dark to even imagine, and Izaya laughed as he exited the building. He didn't want to know anymore.

Mizore was as mental as her father; that much Izaya knew.

He had to find Tsumugi now. He had something very important to say to her. Something very important. Nothing ever mattered to him anymore, the identity of Mizore, the reason he was being stalked, the reason Tsumugi was with Shizuo, and everything else. All he knew and believed was that Tsumugi loved him, and that he needed her.

He would find her, he knew that much.

He went back to Ikebukuro, and tried to hack the location of Tsumugi using her phone number. The results would let him know where she was, and Izaya could get her back.

The results were shocking.

"This number does not exist?" That meant Tsumugi threw away her phone, and number. She had left him for good? No, he couldn't let that happen. He shouldn't let that happen. He needed her, and it was right at the time he accepted it himself. Izaya frowned, and Namie wasn't there to witness it. This was the first time, Izaya felt truly alone. And, he didn't like the feeling.

Mizore walked the streets with her phone in her hand. She was still in Ikebukuro. She knew where her father was, but she didn't know what to do with him anymore. In the distance, she could see two girls, and by the looks of it, Mizore could tell they were twins. She smiled, remembering the fun times she had with her sister back when they were isolated. She walked up to the girls and said, "Are you two new here?" The one handling a phone replied, "No. We're here to visit our brother." Mizore cocked her eyebrow.

"Brother?"

The hyperactive girl nodded. "Izaya Orihara. He's annoying as hell. But, he's our brother and we have to love him." Mizore smiled slightly and said, "Not as much as you love each other right?" The girls smiled, and nodded. "Yup! Say, do you have a sister?" Mizore nodded. "I used to." The hyperactive girl cocked her eyebrow and asked, "What happened to her?" Mizore sighed and said, "She's in a place where she won't ever come back." "What's your name lady?" Mizore cocked her eyebrow and said, "Mizore." She smiled, and walked away.

Mairu and Kururi ran to Izaya's apartment, and told him about the girl they had met. "Her name was Mizore. Funny, what kind of person names themselves the Stalker?" Kururi asked, and Mairu said, "Maybe her name means shy." Izaya's eyes widened. "Where did you see her?" Mairu said, "Near the hospital. She's gone now." Izaya frowned.

"You know she has a twin too. She told us her twin is in a place where they can't return from." Izaya knew what that meant. The twin was dead.

It was then something struck him. Something so obvious, one would overlook it, without even bothering to observe it once more.

"How did she look like?"

Mairu thought for a minute. "She had the prettiest eyes. Green like the grass! And a scarf. A red one."

Izaya was stumped. He was being played the whole while.

Tsumugi was Mizore.

Why? He knew.

How? He couldn't even begin to imagine.

* * *

**A/N: Shocked? No? Okay... So, this was the plan from the beginning. Those who have noticed a few hints along the story, would place them all together. If not, explanation in the next chapter peeps! Poor Izaya. Being trolled by good ol' Mugi-chan. XD**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Too much sanity may be madness and the maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.  
-Miguel de Cervantes**_

* * *

Amane Aizawa did not exist. Kazue Aizawa did not exist. Tsumugi Aizawa did not exist. Izaya's thorough search found no results of such people. Even in the college which she was supposedly going to, had no one by the name Tsumugi Aizawa in it.

Tsumugi's Fanfiction made sense to him now. She wasn't an author of Fanfiction, she was writing about the present. Oh, how stupid the male thought he was right then. Tsumugi knew about everything, she had used him, she used him for information, and she got it in the end. She made the challenge that if he found out what she was afraid of, she would leave. She was found with Shizuo that one night, knowing fully well it would irk Izaya, and she pretended to be afraid, and she left, just after she got all the information that she needed.

Her Fanfiction, the day he first went to her house said: _…she was bored. She least expected anything crazy to happen that afternoon in Konoha. So, she just lied down on her bed not bothered about a thing in the world. And just then, when she was about to fall asleep, she heard a loud knock on the door…_

Izaya had _knocked _on the door.

As simple as it was, she knew he was coming.

Tsumugi wore full sleeved shirts, and Izaya ran into his room, trying to find at least one shirt that she left behind. He could find none. He assumed that, she hid the phone behind those sleeves. She was fast, so fast, she didn't need to see the keypad to know what she was typing.  
He closed his eyes. He went back to the first time he ever got Mizore or Tsumugi's text message.

It was when he was going to Ikebukuro. He was in the Shinjuku station when Mizore claimed that she had seen him. She revealed herself as Tsumugi, the new resident in Ikebukuro. She created a scene just when Izaya was about to reply to Mizore's text, making him divert his attention on Tsumugi. She seemed stupid and naïve, making way for Izaya to permanently believe that Tsumugi could not be Mizore.

Tsumugi had hacked into Izaya's IP address, and made two accounts. Mizore and Tsumugi. Tsumugi seemed to be the idiot who didn't know how to use the internet, and Mizore the stalker. Making way for no one else to suspect her.

Tsumugi had met with Shizuo, a time before she had even texted Izaya as Mizore, making the blonde believe that he could kill him if he listened to her. Shizuo listened to Tsumugi not because she knew Mizore. It was because she was Mizore. She lied to him, of course. Just like she had lied to Izaya. The proof with how Shizuo believed her was simple. He knew she was the daughter of Tetsuya Hayashi, and he knew she was the Stalker. It was as simple as that. Her disguise was to fool Shizuo, and keep him away when Izaya was at Ikebukuro, simply because Shizuo was a threat.

She got close to Izaya, pretending to fall in love with him, so that even further suspicions were dropped. But even then, she left him hints. Like taking him to the roof. Telling him it was the place where she got the inspiration to write. And when he tried to push her down the roof, just to scare her, and the plan didn't work, she hugged him, and her hands were around his waist. She texted him as Mizore.

Mizore knew what Izaya's password was because of one careless act. Izaya had typed in his password once before, when he had invited Tsumugi to his residence. He believed that Tsumugi wouldn't even catch on to it, but Mizore did. And Mizore and Tsumugi were both the same person. She had his password, without even trying. And she tried to make him uncomfortable.

Tsumugi pretended to be really slow at texting him, making the further suspicions drop. Mizore on the other hand, was the fastest when it came to texting. The reason she knew Izaya just wanted to use her was simple. She planned it all along.

Ran Izumi was a part of Tetsuya's mission. Izaya now knew what the mission was. Even if he didn't ask, he knew. Izumi helped in torturing the girls. Tsumugi remembered him. That's why she asked about him once. No, Mizore asked about Ran Izumi. While Tsumugi pretended to make Izaya believe she was in love with him.

Tsumugi was talking in her sleep once. She was repeating the words 'Why?' Izaya now knew that it wasn't a gummy bear dream like she had told him, it was about her past. She lied to him, and tried to make him believe her lie.

Tsumugi had once seen Celty's head in Izaya's house. That was how Mizore knew where Celty's head was. Mizore loved twin girls, because she was a twin. Tsumugi's shoulder injury? She saved her sister's fall, he knew that from Tetsuya. His words were, '_She prevented the fall by landing below her sister.' _And when he saw Tsumugi defend herself from those men who tried to assault her one night, the day Namie told him her eyes were sadistic, Izaya saw it too. It was the same sadism Tetsuya was talking about. She masked it with her naïve outlook.

When Mizore had told Izaya that Tsumugi knew her, Izaya attacked Tsumugi. This was planned all along. It made so much sense to him now more than ever. She was just playing with him, making him fall for Tsumugi.

When Tsumugi had left Izaya to visit 'her brother', Mizore didn't text him as much. He didn't know where Tsumugi went, but, he knew by the time she returned, Izaya would have fallen for her more. This was also planned. Izaya grunted. He was used the whole time.

Her Fanfiction, the one he had branded intense told him about something that shocked him more as he thought about it. _'…For love was a strong word, and sometimes betrayal does not always mean love was never there. She knew what she was doing to him was a mistake, but this was a mistake that would pull him out the darkness, and this was a mistake through which she could finally find redemption…'_ Izaya frowned.

Oh, how much he despised Tsumugi right then.

The time he was about to make love to her, she panicked. She ran to the bathroom, and came out. After making love to her, he could see something in the bathroom, and he knew now that it was her phone. Mizore's phone.

Tsumugi had mentioned to him that she was going to kill a character off her Fanfiction. How stupid he was to not have realized it right then? He remembered something else. She was staring into a hospital. He immediately walked out of his house, signaling his sisters not to follow him. He ran to the hospital and entered inside it, and asked the receptionist, "Did a girl with brown hair, glasses and green eyes come here?" The receptionist thought for a moment.

"Oh, yes!" She clapped her hands together. "She comes here to visit her sister. Poor thing. Her sister is in a coma from a very long time, she passed away just yesterday. She suffered enough." Izaya's heart dropped.

This was not what he wanted to hear.

He saw Tsumugi with Shizuo that night, hiding from someone. Izaya now knew who it was.

Tsumugi was hiding from Tetsuya Hayashi. Shizuo knew who it was as well.

Izaya closed his eyes before he heard someone cuss. "Asshole." It was Sayuri. "Yuri-chan-""You figured it out didn't you?" She asked him. So she knew as well.

"You knew too eh-""Idiot." She said, and Izaya sighed. "She used me. I must say, she was a pretty good liar." Sayuri didn't want to help the man. She knew it wasn't worth it, but she had promised Tsumugi, so she had no other choice.

"Here." She handed him a piece of paper.

"What is this?" Sayuri frowned and said, "Just read it, asshole." And Izaya did.

It was an extract.

_She was afraid. She only intended to use the man. She only intended to find the one thing responsible for the way she lived now. She was a living embodiment of imperfection, and she wanted nothing more than vengeance. She carried the sword of vendetta, and she wore a mask of deceit. Yet, as she grew closer to the man, intending only to pretend, she knew it wouldn't last long. She decided to bid him one last favor, before she would fall much deeper into the love that she did not deserve._

_Several people gathered at the junction where the trains met, and even then she had a nagging sense, that she did not want him to see her, she did not want him to see the madness that consumed her, and she could tell, she could indirectly be the guiding force for him to keep away from her. He was a bad man, a bad man turned good, some of the rarest and sporadic events that occurred at the time of man, and she was alive to witness it. Yet, she believed that his negativity, and his drawbacks were nowhere close to hers. For her crimes for lying to him, were far greater, and if she could ask the angels above to tell him where to go, she would ask them to tell him that, that way madness lay, and that he must not choose that path, and in the end, he would choose the right way, the correct path. The path away from her._

_She had killed before. Without knowing what the meaning to take a life meant. She had watched several people die, right before her eyes, and did not know to feel pity. She did not deserve his love, but it was too late. She loved him, she fell for him, his eyes, his smile, his heart that showed no desire. He was what cleared her mind, he was what drove away the madness. _

_Yet, she had to leave him. She left him. It broke her, but the fact that she had left, made him understand her more than before. He learnt of her past, he learnt to despise her, giving her the emotion that she deserved. In the end, it all did not matter. For, the madness stayed._  
_She would get rid of the madness. She had to. She would. For, wherever she went, madness lay there, and without her, madness would not._

_The man she loved would move on, hating her, despising her, never knowing fully well what she actually thought. He believed that she used him, and to an extent she did. But, it was true that she loved him, it was not supposed to happen but it did. And it would stay. For life itself was madness, and without it, one would always remain that way. For madness never lay outside, it lay within._

"Where is she?" Izaya frowned.

"Gone." Sayuri said. Izaya groaned, and turned to her. "You should know, Sayuri-chan." The psychologist laughed and said, "What do you think she's afraid of Izaya?" he didn't know.

'That way madness lay.'

He knew where she was.

"Goddamn it. Why the fuck am I helping that asshole?" Sayuri thought to herself as she saw Izaya run in the opposite direction to where he came.

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**A/N: Hehehe...I love reading your responses! Honestly, I feel so happy when my readers express their views on what I wrote. I feel special. ;u**  
**Anyways, one more chapter to go, and we'll end it. I must say, I felt like the world when I was writing this story. One of my best memories, and it saddens me to no extent that I'm ending it. Thank you all, my dearest readers. I love you all. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

_**If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.  
-Orson Welles**_

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Tsumugi watched him through the window. "Are you his relative?" The doctor asked, and she hesitated. "…Yes." She said, her voice soft. "Daughter, I presume?" She nodded once more. "I am sorry about your sister." Tsumugi frowned childishly. "I forgive you doctor." She said sarcastically, and walked inside the room her father was in, leaving the doctor behind, with his jaw dropped.

"I won't kill you. I'm not like you. You disgust me. I was never Mizore, father. It was my sister. The day she closed her eyes when you stabbed her, she opened them inside my mind. I knew what was happening fully well. It wasn't MPD, I assure you. I learnt to hack computers, like you. I learnt to text without being caught, like you. I learnt to fraud people, like you. But I never learnt to kill father. I won't." Tsumugi spoke as she spoke to her sleeping sedated father. "I won't say love changed me completely, it did to some extent."

She took a deep breath and stabbed the knife next to his bed, on the table and let tears fall down her eyes. "You didn't even name us. I didn't know my sister's name. But I know she would have wanted to call herself Mizore. She was shy. Like you would know. You were never a father to us. You were a beast."

She walked out and before she left, she said, "I hope you die the most painful death possible. Like my younger sister did."

She climbed onto the roof of the building and looked down, the sight not affecting her. She let out a sob, and she smiled. She didn't need to say anything. She didn't know what to say. She knew she was a monster, and she wasn't afraid of that fact. She wasn't ashamed and she would never be. All she knew was that there wouldn't be anyone that would miss her, and even Izaya, who she believed now hated her, would not bother about her.

"I really did love you, Iza-kun."

She remembered talking to Sayuri that one night, as she told Izaya she was leaving Ikebukuro.

_"Tsumugi Aizawa. That's what you call yourself." Sayuri said, and Tsumugi forced a smile. "You're sad." Tsumugi giggled. "How did you know that?" Sayuri sighed and said, "I'm a psychologist." Tsumugi laughed._

_"Even psychologists can't read people's faces you know." Sayuri nodded and said, "Yeah, true. But I can tell if the person is mad when I see her." Tsumugi sighed._

_"You love him, don't you?" Tsumugi didn't even hesitate to nod. She nodded and Sayuri said, "I read your Fanfiction. Its easy to say it's about Izaya." Tsumugi giggled. "You read Fanfiction?" Sayuri smirked. "People have strange likes, girl."_

_Tsumugi nodded. "I know." She said, and walked away._

_"I'll let him know everything, you know." Tsumugi ignored her and just kept walking. _

Izaya ran to the mental asylum, and panted before the receptionist. "Tsumugi Aizawa, is there anyone by the name Tsumugi Ai-""No sir." Izaya groaned. "Right. Did a girl, green eyes, brown hair, and glasses come here?" The receptionist nodded. "She went to visit her father-"Izaya ran to the designated room. He still remembered where it was.

But Tsumugi wasn't there.

All he saw was a knife, and a sleeping Tetsuya Hayashi. "She didn't kill him?" He asked himself before chuckling. "My, my, Mugi-chan. You sure are a very interesting person." He laughed and thought for a minute. He knew she was still around. He needed to think.

His mind drifted to the letter Sayuri gave him.

"She was going to eliminate the madness, but Hayashi's alive. What did she mean by-"His eyes widened. "Madness never lay outside. Geez, that girl."

He ran upstairs, and he saw her.

By the roof.

Her scarf fluttering in the wind.

"Mugi-chan." The girl froze.

She did not expect him there.

She turned to face him, when the wind blew too heavily. She gasped as her leg slipped, and before Izaya caught her, she balanced herself. She turned away, not wanting to face him.

"Mugi-chan, you left me." He said, and Tsumugi didn't know what to say.

"After all the things I did to you-""Let me finish Mugi-chan. You are by far the most interesting person I have ever laid my eyes on. You're more interesting each day, and I don't want to miss out on that. You know very well that I love human beings right?"

Tsumugi nodded.

"You love humans." She repeated.

Izaya smirked. "But, you know what, you're my most favorite human, incomparable to the rest." Tsumugi's eyes widened.

"What-""You heard me. I love you Mugi-chan." Tsumugi turned, the wind blowing her scarf away, Izaya grabbing it with ease. He pulled her to him and Tsumugi let out a sob. "Izaya-""I usually don't care if people were to kill themselves, but you're an exception. My entertainment dies with you, you know." Tsumugi chuckled. Izaya's grip on her firmed and he said it once more. "I love you, Tsumugi. And I know that isn't your name, so here's one. Tsumugi Orihara. You're my human. Now and forever."

Tsumugi giggled, tears escaping her eyes.

The two went back to Izaya's apartment, each of them with something new. Izaya with a new notion on life. A human all for himself. And Tsumugi, with an identity, that she sought for all her life.

That's what they needed, and now they have it. They needed nothing more. For they had each other, and no amount of madness or insanity could split that.

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**A/N: Aw, it's over. It's come to an end. Finish. You cannot believe how much I'm crying right now :'(**  
**I had so much fun writing this, and it's all because you awesome people kept telling me to continue writing this. **  
**I love you all for your kind words, and motivation, I wouldn't have done this without your support. **  
**I love you all!**


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